The Hunting Year 



order indeed. But there are men out to-day 

 who would scarcely have been turned back by 

 the Thames itself. 



The huntsman and whipper-in, and the 

 Master all went, as a matter of course ; and they 

 all got over. Our veteran friend, Mr Smithson, 

 on his favourite grey, was one of the first over ; 

 a well-known thruster, very frequently in a bad 

 hurry, was one of the first in. He went at it 

 forty miles an hour through the deep ground, 

 hit his horse with his spurs before he got at 

 it, with the result that he took off too soon, 

 and went into the stream instead of over. His 

 hat-guard broke in the scrimmage, and a new 

 Lincoln & Bennett went bobbing down the 

 stream to join the other spoils of war in the 

 German Ocean. And our friend did not get out 

 at the right side either; for it was bad getting 

 out at the landing-side and comparatively easy 

 at the taking-off side, so the horse, after mak- 

 ing one futile attempt at the right side, was 

 soon out at the wrong one, and so we went on 

 our way and saw our friend no more that day. 



There was no lack of gallant spirits present 

 130 



