98 SPORTING ADVENTURES OF 



could ride ; he had no voice ; could not blow the 

 horn well, which was, perhaps, a lucky thing. 



Somehow or other the Sternum hounds generally 

 killed, and had a great many more noses nailed to 

 their kennel-door than most of the neighbouring 

 packs. The great secret of their success was that 

 the hounds were let alone ; they never looked for 

 halloas or lifting, and if they did they very seldom 

 got it They were great lumbering, throaty, slack - 

 loined, flat- sided animals ; but they could hunt if 

 let alone, and often carried a good head, and went 

 along at a pretty good bat too ; and as they had but 

 few men who rode up to them, they were not as a 

 rule pressed or over-ridden. 



The Sternum gentlemen were great at roads, 

 though now and then they would take it into their 

 heads to ride like mad, especially when there was 

 anyone from a neighbouring hunt to watch their 

 proceedings. Then there were riderless horses in 

 all directions, for the country was a stiff one, and 

 took a deal of doing. 



" Ah, gentlemen," Slowman would exclaim, as the 

 field came thundering up ten minutes after a fox 

 had been broken up, " you should have been here a 

 little sooner ; you should indeed. Mag — nificent 

 from find to finish. Don't talk to me of the Book's, 

 or the Belvoir, or the Pytchley either, nor none of 



