74 Life and Times of " The Druid" 



these houses that dogs and guns were kept, 

 and Thomas quietly intimated to the keepers 

 of each that any house harbouring either dog 

 or gun would at once be made ' out of 

 bounds ' — a penalty involving almost certain 

 ruin. The cure was perfect. In all my time 

 there was no dog kept that I ever heard of, 

 and only one gun, a double-barrelled sport- 

 ing rifle, which had been given to its owner 

 by a returned Indian uncle, and which it 

 took him all his time to hide away." 



Dr. Arnold found it more difficult, how- 

 ever, to deal with the horse-loving section 

 of boy-sportsmen. Rugby is situated in the 

 middle of a fine hunting country, and at 

 Dunchurch, three miles away, there were 

 large livery stables at which hunters and 

 hacks could be hired. Moreover, the little 

 town itself was full of sporting inns, where 

 horses of all kinds were held in high honour, 

 and sporting pictures hung upon every wall. 

 It was a steeple-chasing age, and many a 

 study (by which name the tiny room.s as- 

 signed to Rugby boys in every boarding 

 house were known) had pictures of such 

 famous steeple-chasers as Vanguard and 



