108 WITH HOUXD AXD TERRIER. 



wished to take down the bridge that had been 

 over it for years, but the landowner on the 

 other side objected. Mr Drax, however, was 

 not easily turned when once he had made up 

 his mind to a thing, so he had the bridge 

 sawn in half, much to the consternation of the 

 members of the hunt, for the brook, besides 

 being very wide, was peculiarly dangerous on 

 account of the big holes in its bed. At this 

 time Mr Drax was living the life of a recluse 

 at Holnest, and as he had been an old friend 

 of my father's I was asked to go and re- 

 monstrate with him. I accordingly rode over, 

 and before long brought up the subject of the 

 bridge. "Oh yes," he answered, "I knew at 

 once what you had come for, but it is no 

 use. In my time we always got over the 

 Buckshaw Brook, and if you are such duffers 

 now you can't do it, you do not deserve to 

 have a bridge." I remember feeling very small 

 at this view of the question, and I said no 

 more, though Mr Drax's memory certainly 

 played him false as to his ever having jumped 

 the brook. Mr Drax had indeed a great 

 memory for gaps, as a fence in any form did 

 not appeal to him. When he had his hounds, 

 he never allowed the farmers to fill the gaps 

 till the end of the hunting season. Once, how- 

 ever, in the course of a run he came to a place 

 where the gap that should have been there 

 had been replaced by a stile, and as he could 



