1877— rS.] WITHOUT HOUNDS AND WITH. 235 



and requiring only that each passer through shoukl by a 

 toucli liinder its closing after him or her. Of these three 

 hundred in all probability thirty are ladies ; and 1 commit 

 myself to the statement that not more than five of that number 

 will do their share towards preserving the passage for those 

 who follow them. The bulk of them will vaguely wave what 

 they, forsooth, term their hunting-whips towards the returning 

 gate ; while others merely give their mounts a kick in the ribs 

 and gallop onwards, with no look behind at the mischief and 

 mortification they have caused. The gate slams, the crowd 

 -press on to it, a precious minute or two is lost, and scores ot 

 people are robbed of their chance in the forthcoming gallop. 

 And yet these are our sisters whose arms and nerves are 

 strong enough to steer an impetuous horse over the most 

 difficult country and Avho turn away from nothing that we 

 can dare to fiice. The intense annoyance entailed by a gate 

 being dropped into its intricate fastenings through want of 

 ability or of consideration on the part of the fair Amazon 

 immediately preceding him, has brought into the mouth of 

 many a chivalrous sportsman a muttered anathema on the 

 feminine taste for hunting that scarce any other provocation 

 would have availed to rouse. It is only quite of late that a 

 certain number of <mr hunting ladies have provided themselves 

 with whips at all capable of supporting a gate ; and not many 

 of these can use them even now. I make bold to say not only 

 that every lady who hunts should be anned with a sufiicient 

 hunting-crop (with, of course, a lash to guard against its loss in 

 a gateway), but that no lady ought to deem herself qualified 

 to take her place in the field till she has learned how to us(3 it. 

 Were such a rule adhered to, we should hear none of the sweep- 

 ing remarks indulged in by sufi'erers wdio have over and over 

 again writhed under disappointments, that, if inflicted by their 

 own sex, would have quickly called forth direct charges of 

 inconsiderateness and want of courtesy. To unlatch a gate, or 

 even to contend against a high wind and a heavy weight of 

 timber, are never expected of a lady ; but anything but feelings 



