FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 15 



covering a country after hounds. These men are few, 

 though possibly Mr. Assheton Smith was one in spite 

 of the fact that he was certainly defeated once. Dick 

 Christian and Dick Webster could have ridden horses 

 that few of us would care to try, but their mounts, if 

 raw and young, were generally good in quality and 

 power. I think, too, I have known two such men in 

 my time ; but, as they are still living, I will not mention 

 them, though their names will easily be guessed by 

 those who have hunted in Leicestershire within the 

 last twenty years. 



The second class are those who understand hunting, 

 like to ride to hounds, can and will cross any ordinary 

 country at a fair pace, but who cannot tackle Leicester- 

 shire fences at Leicestershire pace, because their nerves, 

 though excellent within certain limits, fail them before 

 the stiff rails and the well-laid blackthorn, not to 

 speak of occasional oxers and bullfinches. Even 

 Whyte-Melville felt this, so he who pleads guilty may 

 feel he has good company. There are also those who 

 cannot mount themselves for Leicestershire, either 

 because they cannot pay for the horses they could 

 ride, or cannot ride the horses they could pay for. 

 It is useless for ordinary mortals, who may be fairly 

 good across country, to attempt to live with hounds 

 over the grass on second-rate horses. They will only 

 lame their horses and lose their own nerve. " The 

 good country hunter here proves a brute," because 

 all horses are bad fencers when they are blown. A 

 friend proved the truth of this, for he had gone well 

 in several countries, and when he came down into the 

 Shires brought with him two horses on which he had 

 held a good place in a by no means easy provincial 

 country. These horses jumped well enough, but they 

 could not go the pace, and they fell at last because 



