HUNTERS 81 



the leaders, which were reduced to two, for the hounds were 

 running at a glorious pace, Burton Persse being on the right, 

 and a local farmer on the left. An extremely high wall 

 bounding a large grass field was taken by the three of us 

 almost abreast, but while Burton Persse got over with 

 difficulty, and the farmer, taking a lot of stones off, had a 

 great scramble, Kettleholder took it in his stride, and raced 

 on after the pack without hesitation. Though from that 

 moment I lost sight of my companions I half thought I saw 

 Burton Persse pulling off to the right, but there was no time 

 to notice what he was doing, for the hounds were flying as 

 fast as ever in front, and another huge wall was looming 

 before me. If anything it was bigger than the previous one, 

 standing well up above the horse's ears as he galloped at it, 

 but he treated it in the same way as the other, and never 

 touched a stone as he flew into the next field. I was new to 

 Ireland, and to Galway, but this was the sort of thing I had 

 expected to find, and it seemed to fit in with one's highest 

 expectations. At the end of that field another immense 

 wall had to be jumped, probabl}'^ a continuation of the same 

 we had just crossed, and I verily believe it was the highest 

 of the three, but after jumping it the hounds did not carry 

 on much further before they threw up, not far from a 

 farmhouse. It was only then, whilst the pack was making 

 its cast, that I had time to look round, and found I was 

 alone, nor did any one else turn up for such a long time that 

 I began to wonder what I should do. Then a clattering was 

 heard, and several of the field, with Burton Persse at the 

 head, came galloping down a lane leading to the house. 

 Burton Persse proceeded to try to hit off the line, but the 

 others galloped back to the last wall without drawing rein, 

 and a sentence just reached me from their midst, " Did he 

 jump that wall ? " After satisfying themselves they 

 returned, but the run was over, for though the line was 

 eventually touched upon too much time had elapsed, and the 

 fox had to be given up. I never realised that no one had been 

 able to follow Kettleholder, and when at the meet of the 

 King's County Harriers the next day, at Kilmaine, the 

 Master, the late Mr. Joseph Studholme, rode up and said, 



7 



