TIPPERARY IN SPRING 359 



fox was headed, hounds could do Httle more with him, and 

 we rode home in the bursting storm. 



The Httle field of the day consisted of, besides Mr. 

 Burke, Mr. and the Misses Ponsonby, Miss Langley, 

 Miss Willett, Miss Brown, Captain Bryan, Messrs. Riall, 

 Higgins, Hemphill, Leatham, Hanly, IMalcolmson, Murphy, 

 Ashby, Sayers, Dr. Hefferman, and perhaps half-a-dozen 

 others. 



At Coolmore on Friday there seemed every prospect of 

 a gallop. Fox and hounds were away in a second, scent 

 appeared ravishing, and the beautiful arena of Peppards- 

 town was directly before us. But a vixen fox would do no 

 more than take us a sharp scurry round the sturdy neigh- 

 bourhood of Coolmore (even this made up a cheery trifle). 

 1 told you yesterday of stone-stile climbing on the part 

 of the native horse. We had another instance to-day. 

 Beside a locked and useless gate, at the corner of a field, 

 stood the usual pretentious iron gate-post. Round this 

 ran a footpath, across the apex of the two stone walls 

 fencing a cottage. An Irish horse can change his legs as 

 readily as a goat. Thus whoever came into that corner 

 had to come out goat-fashion over the double wall ; and 

 they did it without catastrophe, all the more satisfactory, 

 in that a hard road awaited their coming. Ah, but they 

 are ^^ great horses" in Ireland. (So well have I learned 

 to appreciate the emphatic pithiness of that encomium that 

 I warn any submissive friend who may ever again accom- 

 pany me round my home stables, he will no longer hear 

 each occupant in turn described as " one of the very best 

 hunters in England, I give you my word." He will 

 merely hear of each, "That's a great horse!" muttered 

 beneath my breath ; then be left to judge for himself, 

 from the depth of intonation, which may be really the 

 greatest of all.) 



I will write no more of Friday, It finished the 

 season ; and, besides the little scurry at Coolmore, we 

 had wandered over a beautiful tract of country, among 

 the pleasant company of the day being, besides the Master 

 and besides many of yesterday's field, Mr. and Hon. Mrs. 

 Maclean, Mr. and Mrs. Hartigan, Mrs. Carroll, Mrs. Higgins, 



