A Chat with Sam Hills 95 



Surrey hunting meant in those days. The big banks and 

 ditches wanted a really good horse." 



Here the old huntsman glanced affectionately at his 

 arm-chair covered with the skin of one of his favourite 

 hunters. " That," he said, with shining eyes, " was the 

 best mare I ever threw my leg across. Her name was 

 Lady Teazle, and I rode her for twelve seasons. She 

 could jump anything in reason, and what she couldn't 

 jump she could creep or climb. She had a heart as big 

 as a mountain, and no day was too long for her if" — the 

 speaker chuckled again — " it did not extend far into the 

 night." 



That led us naturally to discourse on some of the great 

 runs with the Old Surrey which still live in the memory 

 of Sam Hills, and in which he actually participated. " I 

 may have had to cut the corners off a bit sometimes," he 

 added shrewdly, " knowing the country, when such 

 policy was the only means of getting to the end, but 

 there were always plenty of hard riders behind me to see 

 the way I went." 



Unfortunately, as already stated, Sam Hills' record of 

 exceptionally brilliant Surrey runs has not been preserved, 

 though, from memory, he gave us an account of the 

 following, which come appropriately into this chapter : — 



Met at Banstead Park, and found there. The fox went 

 away over Banstead Downs to the Carshalton furzes, and 

 back through the park to Gatton, across the Reigate 

 Road, through Margery and along Pebble Hill to Box 

 Hill, and we killed him in the river near the Burford 



