56 THE QUORN HUNT 



Villiers, Cholmondeley, and Forester made such sharp play, 



Not omitting Germaine, never seen till to-day : 



Had you judged of these four by the trim of their pace, 



At Bibury you'd thought they'd been riding a race. 



But these hounds with a scent, how they dash and they fling, 



To o'er-ride them is quite the impossible thing ; 



Disdaining to hang in the wood, through he raced, 



And the open for Skeffington gallantly faced ; 



Where headed and foiled, his first point he forsook, 



And merrily led them a dance o'er the brook. 



Passed Galby and Norton, Great Stretton and Small, 



Right onward still sweeping to old Stretton Hall ; 



Where two minutes' check served to show at one ken 



The extent of the havoc 'mongst horses and men. 



Such sighing, such sobbing, such trotting, such walking ; 



Such reeling, such halting, of fences such baulking ; 



Such a smoke in the gaps, such comparing of notes ; 



Such quizzing each other's daubed breeches and coats : 



Here a man walked afoot who his horse had half killed, 



There you met with a steed who his rider had spilled : 



In short, such dilemmas, such scrapes, such distress, 



One fox ne'er occasioned, the knowing confess. 



But, alas ! the dilemmas had scarcely began, 



On for Wigston and Ayleston he resolute ran, 



Where a few of the stoutest now slackened and panted, 



And many were seen irretrievably planted. 



The high road to Leicester the scoundrel then crossed, 



As Tell-tale 1 and Beaufremont- found to their cost ; 



And Villiers esteemed it a serious bore, 



That no longer could Shuttlecock 3 fly as before ; 



Even Joe Miller's 4 spirit of fun was so broke, 



That he ceased to consider the run as a joke. 



Then streaming away, o'er the river he splashed, — 



Germaine close at hand, off the bank Melon 5 dashed. 



Why so stout proved the Dun, in a scamper so wild ? 



Till now he had only been rode by a Child. 1 '' 



After him plunged Joe Miller with Musters so slim, 



Who twice sank, and nearly paid dear for his whim, 



Not reflecting that all water Melons must swim. 



Well soused by their dip, on they brushed o'er the bottom, 



With liquor on board, enough to besot 'em. 



Mr. Forester's horse. 2 Mr. Maddock's horse. 



Lord Villiers's horse. 4 Mr. Musters's horse. 



Mr. Germaine's horse. fi Formerly Mr. Child's. 



