HUNTING DAYS 



to me : '* What shall I do ? " He was riding a 

 four-year-old, a very good young horse. I said : 

 " Send him at it, John ! " He jumped it 

 brilliantly. The whole field had galloped off to the 

 Merry Tom crossing, and so John and myself were 

 alone with hounds. I remember I was so excited, 

 and did not pull up quite soon enough and so 

 jumped a gate going on towards Spratton. Then 

 they turned left, and ran on to Holdenby. No one 

 with us. 



Another very good hunt I had all to myself was 

 one day with the Quorn. I was riding a very good 

 horse of Captain Loewenstein's. They found at 

 Prince of Wales' covert. I had the luck to get over 

 a very nasty fence which the field had passed by, 

 and so I was alone with hounds for quite a long 

 time. I don't really know why it should give one 

 such pleasure to be alone with hounds. Hunting 

 was grand in those days — no wire about. 



Brother John was a very fine rider and went 

 awfully well in his younger days. My sister was 

 very good, too. She married Sydney Loder in '18 

 and they always took a house in Market 

 Harborough and hunted with three or four packs 

 throughout the season. Her nephew, Giles Loder, 

 was very keen, too, and went well to hounds. 

 Both my sister and John were especially good on 

 horses that wanted driving at their fences. I did 

 better on a hot horse. 



I had some rare fun hunting in America — 



45 



