:oS THE BEST OF THE FUN 



Indies upon grey horses (ponies almost), Miss Evanson and 

 Miss Holmes — ^(they must grant me their names, as I fear 

 no contradiction), with Mr. and Mrs. Clibborn (the former 

 a welter-weight) and young Mr. Hartigan, of well-famed 

 parentage — a boy upon Mr. Burke's extraordinary pony. 

 (Another parenthesis, almost an impertinence — -the same 

 pony, only the day before, had been the exponent of the 

 Afaster's free-heartedness. " Sure, sir," said his footman, 

 " I've been four years in your service, and I've never yet 

 followed the hounds ! " " Haven't you, Paddy ? Then take 

 the ' pony.' Isn't the second whip laid up because he 

 must go riding in one of these four-pound steeplechases ? " z 

 And Paddy did — girding up his trousers with knee-straps, | 

 and walking straddleways for three days afterwards. But 

 he saw all the fun — for, bar Mrs. Dewhurst's little wonder 

 in Meath, the pony in question is the best hunter in Ireland. 

 I would like to see a match between the pair and ride one.) 

 Where was I ? Oh, at about thirty minutes from Bally- 

 lennan — -when a farmer holloaed us back over the Anner 

 (a fresh fox, I believe, for hounds and huntsman wanted to 

 go on, their own side). Then they hunted for ten minutes 

 — a wriggling course, as of an undetermined fox, up to 

 Modresliel (this good name applies, I suppose, to the old 

 woman's cottage, the only distinguishing mark of which 

 was some Httle washing flapping in the wind, and possibly 

 staying our fox's progress). At any rate, after a five-mile 

 point, he turned back from this and Kilkenny. We had 

 run through the valley of Slievenamon (renowned in song), 

 and nearly to the base of the mountain of that name. Mr. 

 Burke — of whom I may be allowed to say with emphasis 

 that he makes half his sport by giving every fox credit for 

 being a good one — had to come back at last, and struck a 

 direct return line towards Lismolin. These names convey 

 nothing to my English readers— very little to me after the 

 moment of writing them, and, as far as I can manage it, 

 spelling them. But this was the only real check in a two 

 hours' run. With a wide right-hand sweep we rode back 

 to Ballylennan, taking in the Kilmount Hills and leaving 

 the Drangan Covert half a mile on our right, excellent pace 

 and good ground all the way ; skirted Ballylennan Gorse 



\ 



