THE EARLIEST CUT 



The North Warwickshire 



came on TiKsday to Duncluirch — one of the best meets 

 in England, we have been used to deem it, and one that 

 we should pick as soon as any other with a view to 

 exhibiting to a stranger the beauties of our boasted Grass 

 Countries. And so it came about tliat to-day we were 

 seldom off plough, and that plough of the wettest descrip- 

 tion, besides being fenced and divided by the deep woolly 

 ditches of Dunsmoor, The thrusters who came from afar 

 (a determined band of them invariably turn up for a 

 Rugby Tuesday) were fairly taken aback. They had been 

 galloping their fences lustily with the Pytchley on the 

 Saturday and Monday ; and they proceeded to do tlie 

 same here. Result : five complete somersaults at a single 

 fence, and one horse left wedged six feet below the surface. 

 A member of this nomad troop, if I may be forgiven the 

 use of such an expression, had a story against a comrade, 

 and against himself, that he circulated with gusto. It seems 

 tiiat during their flight of either Saturday or Monday these 

 two collided on approaching a fence, and, as was likely 

 to be the case, the bigger prevailed. Narrator was the 

 smaller ; so, flinging the biggest he had ready at his burly 

 friend, he turned aside, chose another place, and " took a 

 toss " (as is the fashion to term it) in all goodwill. Picking 

 himself up, he looked round to see how his rival had fared. 

 The latter was just crawling on his hands and knees out 

 of a pond, into which he had jumped, to the exclusion of 

 Narrator ! 



Very briefly the correction recently given to one of 

 our fashionable huntsmen. Man ferreting rabbits declared 

 "no fox had crossed that field to-day." Hounds took up 

 the line vociferously. " They're wrong ! That ain't no 

 fox I " Suddenly his cur terrier chimed in, flinging her 

 tongue Yap-Yap W)th the best of them. "Now you're 

 right," he ejaculated. " That's where he's gone ! I'd 

 trust my little bitch anywhere ! " 



