\e-z 



THE BEST SEASON ON RECORD. 



bruisers of the hunt — taking all they could in their stride. 

 At length they came to timber unjumpable, even to their 

 liberal ideas; so one of their number jumped down to 

 attack the barricade on foot— leaving his horse to take 

 care of himself. This the noble animal promptly 

 proceeded to do, by trotting down to the river bank, and 

 coolly swimming across to join the hounds on his own 



" FORTHWITH SWAM BACK AGAIN TO HIS MASTER ! " 



account. But no sooner had he reached the opposite 

 side than, upon a friendly horseman riding up to catch 

 him, he kicked his heels into the air, whinnied playfully, 

 and forthwith swam back again to his master ! (As to 

 this little anecdote, I carefully put Hearsay on his oath, 

 before venturing to pass it on to my readers.) The 

 Broom Covert and thereabouts, and round-and-about, 

 'twixt Waltham Stonesby and Freeb}' — embodies the 

 area, upon which Gillard and the Duke's pack worked 

 hard and untiringly, killed a fox, and ran others through- 

 out the afternoon. 



