70 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



hounds the wind ; the place may be full of wild 

 animals, and yet you may miss finding them." 



On thinking thus, I gave utterance to my opinion, 

 and received for answer : '' Oh no ; we always know 

 where they are." 



" Well," I said to myself, ^* live and learn ; if I 

 were a huntsman of hounds here, with a good pack 

 of twenty couples, I would not take on myself to 

 say so." 



After a pull of some fifteen miles we came to 

 a little roadside public-house, whereat we were to 

 mount our horses. For me there was led out a young 

 mare, small for my weight (14 st. and upwards), but 

 rather clever ; I was satisfied with her looks, but she 

 seemed to have said to herself, " Don't you wish you 

 may mount me !" and treated me like a wild beast — 

 snorting at me with one ear down and a hind-leg up, 

 and swerving anywhere rather than bear or hear of 

 my approach, for we blinded her eyes in order that I 

 might steal into the saddle. After spending some 

 time in a vain endeavour to mount her, both in and 

 out of the stable, my friend told me I should ride his 

 horse. Coco, to whom I then directed my attention, and 

 almost swooned with pleasure as I did so. There stood 

 a magnificent English hunter to look at, nearly white 

 in colour, power enough for any weight, sixteen hands 



