SHOEMAKERS AND COATAIENDERS 179 



on the part of three kindly young matrons of the hunt to 

 render assistance to a soldier in dire distress. The latter 

 was hung in his stirrup. The ladies could only respond 

 to his hopeless appeal by jumping off their horses to 

 the ground. Once there, manacled and abashed by the 

 puzzle-garments of the day, they were unable either to 

 climb the fence or afford any help whatever, till at length 

 the only lit person, the rector of the neighbouring parish, 

 rode to the rescue. Don't laugh. It was a nerve-shaking 

 predicament that ended well, but might have been dis- 

 tressingly serious. 



To reach the meet of the North Warwickshire at 

 Hilmorton on Tuesday we had to make our way through 

 the Rugby Annual Horse Fair, that morning in full swing. 

 In my instance, I found myself unwillingly started into a 

 sharp trot by the cracking of a coper's whip, accompanied 

 by the offer of " Thirty quid, guvnor, if you'll give me one 

 back ! " This for my best horse ! As for retort, I might 

 as well have ventured to chaff a cabby. 



CHAPTER XXV 



SHOEMAKERS AND COATMEXDERS 



Whkx first I wrote the heading " Grass Countries," I little 

 thought there were so many continuous acres of plough 

 in all Northamptonshire, as a Grafton fox has now shown 

 us twice in a fortnight. To-day, Monday, November 28, 

 1892, he began his career at Grubb's Copse (a name sug- 

 gestive enough of such an exploit), and continued his 

 unhallowed course some four miles to Gayton and Blis- 

 worth, where, having up to this point chosen every bit of 

 wet tillage that happened to deface the country, he even 

 stooped to exploring the ironstone quarries before making 

 his brief apology in the better vale between Northampton 

 and Gayton. In the end they marked him to ground near 

 Rothersthorpe (an hour's run, a fair point, over ground 

 grossly pedantic). 



All this is very uninteresting. So was the run, albeit 

 the beautiful Grafton bitches alone made it bv dint of drive 



