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style, assuring the company that he lived but for the enjoyment of 

 their charming society, and that all the money in the world would be 

 useless, if he hadn't Laverick Wells to spend it in. With regard to 

 the vapourings of a " certain gentleman," he thought it would be very 

 odd if some of them could not take the shine out of him, observing 

 that "Brag "was a good dog, but "Holdfast" was a better, with 

 certain other sporting similes and phrases, all indicative of showing 

 fight. The steam is soon got up after dinner, and as they were all 

 of the same mind, and all agreed that a gross insult had been offered 

 to the hunt in general, and themselves in particular, the only question 

 was, how to revenge it. At last they hit upon it. Old Slocdolager, 

 the late master of the hunt, had been in the habit of having Tom 

 Towler, the huntsman, to his lodgings the night before hunting, 

 where, over a glass of gin-and- water, they discussed the doings of the 

 day, and the general arrangements of the country. 



Mr. Waffles had had him in sometimes, though for a different pur- 

 pose — at least, in reality for a different purpose, though he always 

 made hunting the excuse for sending for him, and that purpose was, 

 to try how many silver foxes' heads full of port wine Tom could carry 

 off without tumbling, and the old fellow being rather liquorishly 

 inclined, had never made any objection to the experiment. Mr. 

 Waffles now wanted him, to endeavour, under the mellowing influence 

 of drink, to get him to enter cordially into what he knew would be 

 distasteful to the old sportsman's feelings, namely, to substitute a 

 " drag " for the legitimate find and chase of the fox. Fox-hunting, 

 though exciting and exhilarating ' at all times, except, perhaps, when 

 the " fallows are flying," and the sportsman feels that in all proba- 

 bility the further he goes the further he is left behind. Fox-hunting, 

 we say, though exciting and exhilarating, does not, when the real truth 

 is spoken, present such conveniences for neck-breaking, as people, who 

 take their ideas from Mr. Ackermann's print-shop window, imagine. 

 That there are large places in most fences is perfectly true ; but that 

 there are also weak ones is also the fact, and a practised eye catches 

 up the latter uncommonly quick. Therefore, though a madman may 

 ride at the big places, a sane man is not expected to follow ; and even 

 should any one be tempted so to do, the madman having acted pioneer, 

 will have cleared the way, or at all events proved its practicability 

 for the follower. 



In addition to this, however, hounds having to smell as they go, 

 cannot travel at the ultra steeple-chase pace, so opposed to " looking 

 before you leap," and so conducive to danger and difficulty, and as 

 going even at a fair pace depends upon the state of the atmosphere, 

 and the scent the fox leaves behind, it is evident that where mere 

 daring hard riding is the object, a fox-hunt cannot be depended upon 

 for furnishing the necessary accommodation. A drag-hunt is quite a 

 different thing. The drag can be made to any strength ; enabling 



