MR. MEYNELL 59 



With snaffle and martingale held in the rear, 

 His horse's mouth open half up to his ear ; 

 Mr. Wardle, who threatened great things overnight, 1 

 Beyond Stretton was left in most terrible plight. 

 Too lean to be pressed, yet egged on by compulsion, 

 No wonder his nag tumbled into convulsion. 

 Ah ! had he but lost a fore shoe, or fell lame, 

 'Twould only his sport have curtailed, not his fame. 

 Loraine, 2 — than whom no one his game plays more safe, 

 Who the last to the first prefers seeing by half, — 

 What with nicking 3 and keeping a constant look-out, 

 Every turn of the scent surely turned to account. 

 The wonderful pluck of his horse surprised some, 

 But he knew they were making point blank for his home. 

 "Short home" to be brought we all should desire, 

 Could we manage the trick like the Enderby 4 squire. 



Wild Shelley, 5 at starting all ears and all eyes, 

 Who to get a good start all experiment tries, 

 Yet contrived it so ill, as to throw out poor Gipsy, 6 

 Whom he rattled along as if he'd been tipsy, 

 To catch them again ; but, though famous for speed, 

 She never could touch 7 them, much less get a lead, 

 So disheartened, disjointed, and beat, home he swings, 

 Not much unlike a fiddler hung upon strings. 



An H. H. 8 who in Leicestershire never had been, 

 So of course such a tickler ne'er could have seen, 

 Just to see them throw off, on a raw horse was mounted, 

 Who a hound had ne'er seen, nor a fence had confronted. 

 But they found in such style, and went off at such score, 

 That he could not resist the attempt to see more : 

 So with scrambling, and dashing, and one rattling fall, 

 He saw all the fun, up to Stretton's white Hall. 

 There they anchored, in plight not a little distressing — 

 The horse being raw, he of course got a dressing. 

 That wonderful mare of Vanneck's, who till now 

 By no chance ever tired, was taken in tow : 



1 Said to have threatened that he would beat the whole field. 



2 Mr. Loraine Smith. 3 A term of reproach. 

 4 Where Mr. Loraine Smith lives. 5 Usually very grave. 



6 Sir John Shelley's mare. 7 Melton dialect for "overtake." 



8 These initials may serve either for Hampshire hog or Hampshire Hunt. 



