374 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



that far less desirable state of being frequentl}' in a funk, 

 while never daring to show it, I followed with apparent 

 complacency till, to my absolute relief, hounds suddenly 

 broke from the road, and with a whimper set forth upon 

 the open grass adjoining. A wave of the Master's hand 

 and a note of the horn brought them back to the line 

 across which they had flashed. From habit the old 

 watch was drawn from the fob, then the billycock was 

 beaten down, reins were shortened in hand, and the fun 

 began. Aye, it zuas fun too, for the next half-hour — a 

 pastime of itself, a merry ride, a jovial experience. Put 

 all comparisons out of mind. Remember, this was a 

 simple drag hunt over quaint and sturdy country ; 'tis 

 the same game that men here have been forced to accept 

 in lieu of fox-hunting, and certainly it cannot be laid to 

 their charge that they have been content with any child's 

 play as a substitute. 



Some upright poles against the sun almost proclaimed 

 a wire, before we had galloped half a mile, and before 

 we had reached a fence. Dazzled by the sunlight, Mr. 

 Cottenet and half-a-dozen others broke through it with a 

 clang and without a fall. A zigzag fence stood across our 

 path, and with this .we opened the ball, while hounds 

 clustered and settled to run hard across the cornfield be- 

 yond. I like those zigzag fences, the relics of pioneer farm- 

 ing in Eastern America. They are not so tall as the more 

 modern post-and-rails ; they are more tangible to the eye, 

 yet hold out some hope of crumbling to the ground if 

 struck. The others are fixtures, indeed, seldom relin- 

 quishing any but a single top-bar, and that only under 

 the strongest possible protest. And of this sort was the 

 next — into a very narrow lane, and prefaced by a very 

 indistinct take-off, where weeds from beneath the corn 

 crop had trespassed close to the timber. The Master 

 selected a place beneath a tree, and was no sooner in the 

 lane than a second bound from Sweetheart carried him, 

 nolens volcns, out beyond. The two next comers entered 

 pocket to pocket, and many others, missing the more 

 eligible spot, were fain to skirmish down the strong rails 

 till they came to the Jericho turnpike and the woods above 



