276 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



case, riding up to the offender and holding it out to him, 

 " We cannot both hunt the hounds." No amount of l»ad 

 language could have caused the effect that that simple 

 action and those few words had in abashing the culprit. 

 On another occasion, a hard rider jumped right into the 

 middle of the pack, and tumbled off as they were casting 

 themselves on the farther side of a hedge, on a bad scenting 

 day. Sir Charles hastened up, and we all exjDected to hear 

 something rather forcible issue from his lips, but all he said 

 after checking his horse and looking over the fence at the 



offender was, " I'm very glad of it." The result was 



that everyone did their best to avoid meriting displeasure, 

 and the field was one of the best ordered ones in the 

 kingdom. 



The secret of it was that he was such a thorough 

 gentleman and inborn sportsman. All sports came alike 

 to him, and he excelled in everything. Shooting, fishing, 

 even rat hunting with his terriers, or whatever the pastime 

 of the moment might be, he thoroughly understood the 

 nature of the pursuit, and had the keenest insight into the 

 habits of the quarry he was after. He once captured 120 

 blackbirds with his sparrowhawk during a ten days' frost, 

 and he threw himself into the sport of the moment with 

 all the zest that he did when fox-hunting. His very wish 

 was law in the country he ruled over, and he was mourned 

 equally in the mansion of the squire and in the cottage of 

 the peasant. 



