4 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



or Twyford had never evinced. Now across the rich wet 

 grass the dog pack were driving heartily, and as the Httle 

 band emerged as best it could from the grasping flood, 

 hounds were some three hundred yards away Aha ! no 

 Irish double is this, but a simple obstacle of thorn and 

 — may I believe it? — with rail on top. They told me 

 that timber existed not in Meath, You may take this 

 fence at all events Leicestershire fashion, and indeed be 

 thankful you have the pace on, for the ditch beyond is 

 wider and deeper than they often dig in the grass countries 

 of Old England. And the next too is a wide, fair fly-water 

 from brink to brink, and either brink shrouded in rushy 

 vagueness. Let us suppose you have taken the offlce from 

 Mr. Watson and his man Holmes, or from Mr. Watkins 

 and Mr. Garden ; that your well-taught mount marked 

 exactly where sound turf ends and water begins, and that 

 you are safely careering over the wide acreage of pasture 

 beyond. The hamlet (that isn't Irish ; no matter) of 

 Dunberry is, you learn afterwards, the landmark on your 

 right. Put you are more intent on creeping into the 

 lane under a tree, and cramming out again over a wall- 

 like bank, than in gazing about for landmarks. Already 

 you may be with the pack — flinging hard into their work 

 with a full-toned delight that well becomes the blood 

 of Cheshire, Brocklesby, and Milton — as they pour out 

 of the lane, and seem settled to run their fox to his death. 

 Steady, fool, steady ! Did I not tell you. Go slow, go 

 slow ? Your first Irish bank — and it nearly caught you. 

 Shoulders and talent that was all your horse's alone made 

 recovery good. Did you not mark those better men in 

 front, how they steadied into the slowest trot ? A flock 

 of sheep scurries across the front, a herd of sleek, fat 

 bullocks comes lumbering round, and hounds are brought 

 to a momentary, very vital stop (some seventeen minutes 

 from the find). Though on again directly, it has eased 

 the first pressure from the fox, whereas another ten 

 minutes at this pace would have burst him and kept 

 him to hand. Hounds right themselves again rapidly, 

 and go forward full merrily. Strong thorn growers of 

 wondrous height and strength mark the banks hereabout. 



