104 FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 



pation of to-morrow's will pass away the time plea- 

 santly enough. Round Rugby as a centre there are 

 many pleasant villages, and hunting-boxes are to be 

 found. 



For those who like a more lively life Leamington 

 has plenty of accommodation and plenty of amuse- 

 ments, and is a clean and pleasant town. It is quite 

 true of course that an enterprising Leamington man 

 could visit (by rail) the Quorn or more easily the 

 Pytchley. Leamington, though a sporting town 

 enough, and once the headquarters of chasing, is 

 nowadays a place for a man to go with a small stud 

 of useful horses and a hack, sure that he will there 

 see as much sport as anywhere, and need not be 

 dull if he can find amusement in a good club and 

 pleasant society on the days when he does not hunt. 

 In fact, it is one of those places where hunting is 

 only one of several other recreations, and not as it 

 must needs be at Melton and Oakham, the chief 

 business of life for the time you are there. 



Here I may be permitted the reflection that it is 

 one of the advantages of hunting as a recreation 

 for busy men that it takes them more out of them- 

 selves and away from the cares and worries of life 

 than any other amusement. While you are hunting 

 you have no time to think of anything else. It is 

 not only physical exercise, but mental too. No 

 thoughtless, careless, stupid man ever rode well to 

 hounds through many long runs and during a series 

 of years. Fox-hunting is a sport which attracts men 

 of affairs. Distinguished soldiers naturally delight in 

 it ; it is by the love of such sports, indeed, that they 

 have come to distinction. A man's youth soon 

 leaves him if he has no game or sport to preserve 

 it, and a soldier cannot afford to grow old or even 



