202 Tallyho, 



North, Mr. and Mrs. Younger, Mr. and Miss Chaplin, 

 Mr.Delacour, Captain Wingfi eld, Captain Elmhirst, Cap- 

 tain and the Hon. Mrs. Sterling, Captain Middleton, 

 Mr. Adair, and the Honourable Hugh Lowther, who, 

 report says, is to be the future Master of the Cottes- 

 more, his brother. Lord Lonsdale, not caring much 

 about hunting himself, though he keeps up the splen- 

 did pack for the gratification of others. 



The morning being fine, the scene in the quiet little 

 village of Stonesby was delightful, and we were soon 

 on our way to draw an adjoining cover. 



" Halloo in ! ^^ cries Frank Gillard, and the hounds 

 in a minute are at work, startling the pheasants and 

 hares from the quietude of Freeby Wood. Then a 

 halloa is heard, and we gallop up to the end of the 

 cover, but the fox has been headed, and some little 

 while elapses before he breaks again. 



The fences are large, and, after a while, we come to 

 a narrow yet deep brook. At it goes a man on a bay 

 horse ; but either the steed or his rider did not mean 

 it, and they go in, instead of over, and I left them 

 blundering out as best they could ; and having a nag 

 under me with a reputation for jumping, I rasped him 

 at it, and landed all right. 



It is curious to see, when hounds cross a brook, how 

 few horsemen are found to face it ; and out of that 

 few what a small proportion get safe over. I believe, 

 as a rule, it is more the fault of the riders than that of 

 the horses, as I often observe a man beginning to 

 race at a water jump who goes full tilt for fifty yards, 

 and then, at the very moment that he should sit down 

 and clap to his horse, and shout at him after the 

 fashion of an Irish jockey, he drops his hands, and 



