30 THE TRINITY FOOT BEAOLES 



the fen is a beagler's Paradise. The remaining plough and " wood- 

 land " are euphemistically termed, by the fen folk at least,. " high 

 country," and this the wildest local patriotism could hardly describe 

 as picturesque. There is hardly any grass, but only cold, grey, and 

 most adhesive plough. What I here call the " woodlands " are really 

 fruit sardens, that is, orchards of standard trees with a pretty 

 dense undergrowth of currant and gooseberry bushes planted between 

 the rows. The number of these thickets which have been planted in 

 the Histon and Cottenham districts has greatly increased since the 

 big jam factory has grown up at Histon Station, and the beagling 

 thereabouts has become very like woodland fox-hunting in miniature. 

 I have said that on the whole sport is good, but had better give 

 a more detailed description from among material collected, which 

 includes a poem ^ describing a good day, and a prose extract from 

 Mr. H. S. Gladstone's diary of a representative bad one. Here are 

 the verses : — 



THE TRINITY FOOT BEAGLES 



Of all national sports, 

 Of all manner of sorts. 

 There is one which must stand quite alone ; 

 You may talk of a chase, 

 Or of rowing a race, 

 But beagling will e'er hold its own. 

 And I'll vow that the Trinity Pack 

 Can never be thought to be slack. 

 When the men at its head 

 Are the best ever bred 

 At getting hounds back on the track. 



Clioi'us (please). 



Oh ! well I recall 

 Those grand days at " The Hall," 

 When we gaily set off in a thaw, 



' It has been a great surprise to me to discover how iiiuch poetry is written by 

 beaglers. 



