280 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



fox - hunters with the same consideration with 

 which he and his fellows claim, and justly claim, to 

 be treated, it would have never occurred. 



Then again, there is the great question of wire. 

 As was said to me by a farmer a few weeks ago, 

 "Wire is cheap fencing, and times are hard," 

 and we cannot expect farmers not to use such 

 cheap fencing. But in a hunting country where 

 many people live and spend their money freely 

 who would live elsewhere were it not for the 

 hunting, we may fairly expect farmers to take 

 down the wire, or where in exceptional cases this 

 cannot be done without serious inconvenience, to 

 put up a warning. If a country is extensively 

 wired it stands to reason that hunting, or, at any 

 rate, riding to hounds, becomes impossible. That 

 the farmer would suffer, and that materially, were 

 fox-hunting to cease, is evident ; the breeding of 

 light horses would soon become a profitless occupa- 

 tion, for the motor car has come to stay, though 

 its influence may not be felt for a few years. It 

 is, therefore, to their interest to foster a sport 

 which induces gentlemen to live in the country 

 and spend their money there, and in this direction 

 it may be suggested that the money which is 

 directly spent over hunting is but an unconsidered 

 trifle in comparison to the amount which it 

 indirectly causes to be spent. Moreover, when 

 farmers are fairly treated by hunting men they 

 should return fair treatment, and should not, 

 whilst taking with one hand, refuse to give with 

 the other. It is not necessary to go into details 

 respecting the various means which are adopted in 

 different countries respecting wire, but I may 

 mention that in one country with which I am well 



