HUNTING DIRECTORY. 83 



Ancient and Modern Hour of Meeting. 



to perform those feats which are exultingly bruited in 

 his praise. The fact is, that the hounds and the horses 

 were very well calculated for each other : — if the latter 

 possessed not the speed of the Meltonian hunter, the 

 hounds were equally slow ; and though the pursuit was 

 not carried on with that impetuous velocity, which forms 

 the leading feature of its present highly-improved state, 

 still the superior olfactory nerves of the old hound 

 enabled him to bring the business to a more certain, 

 though a more protracted, conclusion. 



Sportsmen of the old school, it would appear, com- 

 menced their operations at a much earlier period than the 

 moderns : — it is recorded of 'Squire Draper, for instance, 

 who has been already noticed, that "he was always up at 

 four in the morning, and mounted on one of his nags at 

 five ;" and the question which naturally suggests itself to 

 the mind, on reading such a statement, is, — how far had 

 he to ride to cover ? for, unless the distance was much 

 greater than usual, he would, during the best part of 

 the hunting season, arrive at the appointed spot several 

 hours before day-light ; and I cannot induce myself to 

 believe, that fox-hunting can be very pleasant diversion 

 in the dark ! However, I have no hesitation in supposing, 

 that the sportsmen of the old school met at an earlier hour 

 than the modern fox-hunter thinks necessary ; that they 

 met, in fact, as soon as day-light would enable them to 

 observe the motions of the hounds, and this circumstance 

 gave them decided advantages : — in the first place, there 

 would be less difficulty in finding, and in the next, the 

 fox would be less calculated for maintaining the contest, 

 in consequence of having to run upon an overgorged 



