72 The Old Surrey Fox Hounds 



and the revels were of a truly sportive character. We do 

 not now see any of the three-bottle men, and they do not 

 seem to be missed except agreeably. They would surely 

 be an anachronism in this age, when men are obliged to 

 study the question of drink as if it were poison, and are 

 afraid to enjoy themselves heartily lest they may be very 

 ill the next day. 



Our forefathers were more robust; their pleasures seem 

 to have been harmonized accordingly. The Old Surrey 

 sportsmen comprised many sparkling viveurs who, after 

 hunting, did not always seek the domestic hearth as if its 

 attraction were supreme. They were fond of lingering 

 together in comfortable hostelries. Amusing stories are 

 told about their vagaries. We have not searched for the 

 accuracy of those tales — only for their fun. We may not 

 be able to achieve a smile if we examine all the evidence 

 too critically. 



For example, it is related that, years and years ago, a 

 well-known supporter of these hounds remained rather 

 late (after a clinking good day) at a rural auberge with 

 congenial friends, and, as the phrase goes, they " did 

 themselves well." Riding home alone across the fields 

 in the night for a short cut, our hero fell, horse and all, 

 over a heap of turnips, and, though he retained a hold on 

 his steed, he was, alack, unable to get up again. At last 

 he loosed his hunter, and, after a short period of repose, 

 he walked slowly — dare we say unsteadily ? — towards his 

 place of abode, finding his spurs greatly in the way. He 

 passed the local police-station, where, seeing a sergeant at 



