With the H.H, 17 



sermons in stones^ and good in everything ^^ — even in 

 such a withering wind and persistent downpour as 

 that which had drenched us to the very skin. Truly 

 our bucolic friend was an observant man, for, whilst 

 stopping under the friendly shelter of a wheatstack, 

 lighting a cigar to cheer us on our lonely way, we 

 observed that the wind, whilst rudely playing with 

 the leaves of the young swedes, was loosening the 

 moistened earth, thus allowing the plants to take 

 strong hold of the ground, a process decidedly ^^ good 

 for the turmuts/^ But, however advantageous heavy 

 rains and high winds may be for agricultural purposes, 

 they are not equally beneficial for those on hunting 

 bent^ and we decided to change the venue for a while, 

 and to try the lighter lands of Hampshire. 



Hence our visit to the celebrated pack of fox- 

 hounds which hunts this country, where much of the 

 going is over light lands, with a considerable amount 

 of open country and easy fences, offering facilities to 

 those who, by reason of advancing years look twice 

 at an ox-fence or a bull- finch in the shires, thougfh 

 they enjoy a rattling spin over a good hunting country 

 at the tail of a pack of hounds so long and favourably 

 known to sportsmen as the '^ H. H/^ 



On Saturday last the meet was at the Grove, for 

 Hackwood Park, near Basingstoke ; the route, viCi 

 South -Western, by the nine o^ clock train from 

 Waterloo, where, on taking a return ticket, the pas- 

 senger is informed that the fare is sixteen shillings if 

 he return the same day, and only twelve shillings if 

 he stop until Monday. 



Now this would appear to be somewhat of an 

 *' anemone," to use the expression of a certain bibulous 



2 



