222 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



hunting season, leastways only when there's a frost. 

 You see we've missed a real good day to-day ; 

 we've chopped a good fox, old Saladin's got 

 jumped on to, and there's one or two good 

 hounds got lamed. Dancin's all well enough in 

 the summer when you can't hunt, but there should 

 be a law against it in the hunting season." And 

 then, as our roads diverged, he wished me " good- 

 night." 



I rode slowly on for about a mile, and then I 

 saw some scarlet-coated friends coming along a 

 bridle road. "Where are the hounds?" asked 

 one. " Gone home," was my reply. " Had a 

 nice thirty minutes late, and killed." And then I 

 learned that my friends, ball-goers you may be 

 sure, had made a late start, had thought they 

 would be able to pick us up, and had been riding 

 about all day in the vain attempt. 



The great Mr. Facey Romford, on a historic 

 occasion, remarked that " 'untin' and drinkin' were 

 two men's occupations." The sentiment is a just 

 one, and if he had added ball-going he would not 

 have been far from the mark. At any rate, he 

 would have had the warm approval of our old 

 huntsman. 



