238 The Hunting Grounds 



doubt but that intense excitement takes away all 

 dread of danger, for I have seen it exemplified many 

 times, not only on the hunting-ground but also on 

 the field of battle. The same spirit which animates 

 a " dare devil " in the front rank of the hunting- 

 field at home accompanies him in the van of the 

 fight abroad, and in both cases, if his career is not 

 stopped by "a fall," he will be found " well in at the 

 death." An ardent hunter, like a daring soldier, 

 possesses a mental energy superior to all thought of 

 peril ; for, seeking only the attainment of his pur- 

 pose, he pursues his course with that dogged stub- 

 bornness, inflexibility of purpose, and recklessness of 

 self-preservation that make him invincible and en- 

 sure success in the end. In my opinion, the greatest 

 compliment the British army ever received was when 

 the great Napoleon said that " the men never knew 

 when they were beaten" The saying marked the 

 discrimination of the man, as it was that feeling that 

 gained us Waterloo, Inkermann, and numberless 

 other glorious days ; for our soldiers, in the words of 

 our greatest bard, 



" Could for itself woo the approaching fight, 

 And turn what some deem danger to delight." 



But, gentle reader, I crave your pardon for di- 

 gressing, having wandered from my subject by musing 

 upon bygone days and the many hard-fought fields 



