IN COUNTY TIPPERARY 263 



And, the while, hospitahty went round and the cup 

 was kept flowing, under the glare of sunshine and in the 

 haze of such heat as should belong rather to harvest-time. 

 Each race commenced as per agreement to suit general 

 convenience. Competitors were weighed in under military 

 supervision, and weighed out under ditto. The judge was 

 not on the card ; so, not unnaturally, he was forgotten. Well, 

 the stakes were honour and glory, so the first arrival took 

 the honour, and took off his hat in acknowledgment ; the 

 second snatched glory on the post. Thus, the definite re- 

 sult of one race remains in abeyance till another year; and 

 all parties are satisfied — a happy state of things that often 

 obtains in peaceful Ireland, where sport and good-fellow- 

 ship are the ruling motives. I will dart ahead and give 

 you an example in point, lest I forget it when I reach the 

 date. On Saturday, when the Tipperary were at Gibb's 

 Forge, it was not generally believed that Mr. Burke could 

 hunt — so adamantine was the ground, so oppressive the 

 weather. Thus two keen hunting-men turned up to 

 breakfast, after attending a training gallop, and with no 

 view of hunting ; also with no horses to ride. They, and 

 others, set off on foot. But on the way to covert they en- 

 countered a string of useful horses belonging to a comrade 

 — these at exercise, also with a view to the forthcoming 

 chases at Fethard. " Do they want work ? " they inquired 

 of the stableman in charge. " Faix, they do, and Mr. 

 Phelan will be proud if you give it them ! " Accordingly 

 they did, and three of the stud had an ample gallop. I 

 hope I shan't have got that fidi/s Achates into trouble by 

 telling. 



On Friday I was conveyed eastward to Modeshel, 

 almost at the border of Kilkenny. The hounds — the same 

 hard-working dog pack that, on the occasion of my last 

 visit, showed us the three hours' run from Ballylennan — 

 now arrived at the trysting-place, dust-laden as a company 

 of soldiers on their return march from Aldershot's Long 

 Valley, of grimy memory. A ten-mile drive developed a 

 great stretch of fine grass country, stoutly banked and 

 strongly hedged. Indeed, if ever a country merited the 

 description, " strong, yet practicable," it is surely eastern 



