HUNTING DAYS 



champagne, and that cheered me up. I lay awake 

 one night, and I heard the doctor talking to my 

 mother, who was sitting by the fire. I heard him 

 say to my mother : " He shan't die for the want 

 of attention, Mrs. Drage." Not very pleasant for 

 me to hear. Then, one morning, I opened a 

 letter directed to my brother, offering sympathy 

 at my death. Funny how one remembers these 

 things. 



I got better by degrees, and eventually could 

 walk about, but I was not to ride. I remember 

 standing in the yard one day and a horse was being 

 led round. I just could not resist the temptation 

 to get up on him, and I started off down the home 

 field and back full gallop, but I made a poor show 

 of it that winter as I had no grip and so had to cling 

 to the saddle with my hand. 



That was a nasty fall when I broke my arm. I 

 was hunting with the Cottesmore, and the horse 

 fell and I got hung up. But, fortunately, when the 

 horse kicked at me it released me. 



I remember one day out with the Cottesmore I 

 was riding a very good horse called Sprinkle Me. 

 He was a good bold horse, but never quite got 

 up at his fences. I was riding him and we came to 

 the Whissen dine. I held back a bit, and rather 

 funked it. A hunting man I knew who had got 

 over it shouted to me to come on, and Sprinkle 

 Me just skimmed over it. It was the same horse 



49 



