386 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



The Tipperary ladies further affix to their scarlet 

 collars two golden foxes. These images they take off on 

 such occasions as they ride with the harriers. This, the 

 time-honoured Fethard pack, is no longer in the hands 

 of the soldiers whose orderly-room is at Cahir and whose 

 recreation-ground is round Fethard. With the Tipperary 

 foxhounds hunting five days a week, and the Kilkenny 

 two, besides the Sabbath-breaking pack of the locality, 

 perhaps the military hardly need hounds of their own, as 

 when first they established them, for lack of fox-hunting. 

 Accordingly, Mr. Croome has put together a very useful 

 little pack of about 1 8-inch hounds, and Mr. Morton 

 whips-in to him. 



On Friday, October 19, these opened their ball with a 

 largely attended meet at Clonmel. Apart from other 

 considerations, hare-hunting always commends itself with 

 emphasis in a country whose main product and material 

 for mart is horseflesh. Every young horse in the district 

 learns his work, while many earn their market, with 

 harriers. For, while the hare runs her gentle circles, 

 there is usually not only time and occasion enough for all 

 needful schooling, but time enough also to initiate and 

 conclude a bargain. The dust and drought were so pro- 

 nounced on F'riday that scent was sadly lacking. The 

 abnormal hardness of the ground (this in a country that 

 one has been taught to regard as excessively favoured 

 as regards supply of rain) brought, moreover, to my mind 

 the gross inconsistency of riding another man's horses 

 under such condition when I should probably be willing 

 neither to ride nor to lend my own. Accordingly, declin- 

 ing any further mounts from my most kind host, I tied 

 precipitately, and of course rain and snow fell heavily next 

 morning. 



CHAPTER LXI 



PYTCHLEY BORDERLAND 



On Saturday, November 23, 1894, the Pytchley enjoyed 

 themselves very much on their neighbours' ground. 

 They were engaged, so to speak, in "beating the bounds," 



