102 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



that until he had made certain enquiries about them next day 

 he did not propose to settle up ! Of course this caused much 

 wild and whirling talk of instant satisfaction, duels to the 

 death, and so on, but he stuck to his guns and went back to his 

 hotel. Next morning enquiries at the office of the Procureur du 

 Roy elicited the information that his charming friends of the 

 night before were notorious sharpers, and he heard no more of 

 them. What seemed to tickle him most about the affair was 

 that while he had paid them nothing, they had given him an 

 excellent champagne dinner. 



The first cob on which he hunted was of a lethargic tempera- 

 ment, and occasionally gave a deep sigh and slowly lay down 

 from sheer boredom while waiting outside a covert. Slight 

 refreshers were necessary with the whip to cut short these dozes. 

 A much more curious instance, more or less of the same sort, 

 happened to him later in life while hacking home on a very old 

 but excellent hunter. It suddenly stopped and appeared to 

 drop dead under him. Overcome with grief, he extricated 

 himself and stood by the body of his old favourite, thinking 

 over all the beautiful traits in its character and mourning its loss. 

 He had almost made up his mind to remove its saddle and bridle 

 and leave it alone in its glory, when the horse came to life and 

 began carelessly cropping the grass within its reach, while it 

 settled itself into a still more comfortable position. Like the 

 mother who heartily spanks the child that has just failed to be 

 run over by a motor-car, the Dean's grief suddenly turned to 

 indignation, and the rest of the homeward journey was per- 

 formed at a smart trot. 



He had very decided views on whether parsons should hunt 

 or not. He believed they should certainly hunt, or enjoy any 

 other manly sport, so long as it did not involve betting or 

 interfere with their work or embarrass them financially. His 

 own limit was one day a week with hounds. Another rule he 

 would have liked to make Avas that if a parson wished to hunt he 

 must ride straight, otherwise he had better stop at home. He 

 often expressed this view, and I must say I do not agree with it. 



He rode hard himself, while in his prime, but I cannot see 

 why a parson or anybody else who goes hunting as a relaxation 

 from work should not enjoy himself in his own way, so long as 

 he docs not interfere with anybody else. He may be riding a 



