298 HUNTING PRELIMINARIES. 



pleasure that a deaf man would obtain from a well got-up 

 play. A season or two with harriers and provincial foxhounds, 

 preferably in that land of sportsmen, Devonshire, will give a 

 beginner an admirable course of preliminary drill. He might, 

 then try the Midlands. Even Leicestershire has a drawback, 

 namely, that it takes time to learn. Hence we find that no 

 matter how fine a horseman and how well mounted a stranger 

 may be, he has no chance of giving the lead to Meltonians of 

 the best sort, until he has made a careful study of the lie 

 of the land. It is impossible to imagine a more delightful 

 country to cross than that which is hunted by the Ouorn, 

 Cottesmore and Belvoir ; but it has to be jumped. Besides, 

 there are so many bridle-paths and the gates open so easily, 

 that a man who can harden his heart only now and then, 

 will be able to see more good sport, even at a distance, 

 than he would probably do elsewhere, supposing that he 

 knows something about hunting. Without that knowledge or 

 without the ambition to acquire it, he had better select some 

 district in the provinces where the obstacles are not very 

 formidable, and the foxes, like the dingle breed, are not too 

 enterprising. Melton Mowbray is an ideal centre to hunt 

 from, because the respective countries of three of the best 

 packs touch that famous market town ; there is practically 

 no wire ; and the sport cannot be surpassed. Oakham is 

 more rural, though less central, and the meets in its vicinity 

 are not so large. Market Harborough is at the junction of 

 Mr. Fernie's, the Pytchley and Woodland Pytchley countries, 

 and was formerly Melton's great rival as a hunting centre, but 

 most of the best meets are a long way off. 



The good service of trains which exists all over the 

 Midlands greatly helps hunting people in getting about. 

 Besides, special trains frequently run from the chief hunting 

 centres to outside meets. 



Furnished houses at from ^150 upwards for the season 



