said Frank, curtly. 'John Mumford has only well thrashed an Irish pedlar for interfering in a quarrel between him and his wife; and served the fellow quite right, too, in my opinion. But look 'sharp, Joe, and get that colt straight as quickly as ever you can; 'for my father may return now at any moment: there, catch! that's the crown I promised you.'

Such was the fine condition of the colt, however, that, although the sweat ran off him like rain, not a speck of lather appeared on his skin; his tail, indeed, gave unmistakable token of the pace at which he had been travelling, while his flanks quivered convulsively, as if agitated by an electric battery. All those symptoms, however, would soon pass off, and, under Joe's manipulation, not a trace of them be seen in the short space of half an hour, if only the Squire would delay his coming to that time.

But the fates were against it; Joe had scarcely deposited the crown-piece in his leathern pouch when, hearing a gate that opened on a bridle-path leading directly for the stables fall heavily against its post, he looked round and spied the Squire jogging along on King Cole at his usual hound-trot; but as he approached a stone watering-trough that always stood brimming over with the softest moor water, he paused a minute or so to indulge the old horse with a long and refreshing draught. Then, to Joe's unspeakable relief, he turned short and trotted briskly up the stately oak avenue, which, with its gnarled and moss-clad branches overlapping the road, formed a continuous Gothic arch from that point to the front of the house. The groom then knew that King Cole would be led to the stables, and that he should now have plenty of time to dress the colt and restore his skin to that glossy hue, which would render detection of the fatigue he had undergone impossible, even to the master's eye.

In the meantime Frank had rushed up to meet his father; and as the latter expatiated on the tedious business of the day, which, after all, ended in the dismissal of the case against the Mumfords, Lady Susan, seeing them enter together, happily made no inquiries as to Frank's absence during the rest of the day.

That night Mr. Raleigh, very contrary to his usual custom, sat up to a late hour over his jug of punch, which, to Matthews' serious discomfiture, he was called on to replenish more than once with a fresh and more potent brew. Hitherto Frank's migrations from. home had been limited to the neighbouring town of Buckbury, an accessible distance at which, if need be, he could easily be visited by his father, or summoned to Watercombe at brief notice. now it was altogether a different matter; the boy was going forth to assume the toga virilis and start on life's journey, subject to no control beyond that of his own good sense and right feeling to save him from debt and the many temptations incidental to a college

career.

But

So the Squire, pondering anxiously on these things, and loving his son as the very apple of his eye, sat up hour after hour in his easyVOL. XXVIII.—NO. 192.

chair, sipping the insidious mixture and devising all manner of schemes for the boy's protection; but, alas! without being able to choose one on which he could confidently rely. At length, in a state of semi-maudlin somnolency, in which his grief at parting with Frank was expressed by many a deep-drawn sigh and not a few tears, Matthews, who had brought in and lighted his bed-candle for the third time, overheard him saying aloud to himself, He shall ' have the colt then, as he so much wishes it; and if hunting won't keep the boy out of mischief, nothing on earth will.'

COUNTRY QUARTERS.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.

THIS Country,' said our friend, is bounded by the Oakley, the 'Fitzwilliam, the Puckeridge, and the late Mr. Gerard Leigh's, and 'they hunt over part of Bedfordshire, in which they have several 'meets, and also some large woods in Huntingdonshire, which are 'lent to Lord Fitzwilliam for cub-hunting. They go as far as Morhanger on the west to Kimbolton Castle, round by St. Ives to 'Cottenham; on the south they go as far as Royston, where they 'join the Puckeridge, and so round to Biggleswade. As a As a ploughed country it is very good; but there is little or no grass. There is a C great deal of open country. From St. Neots to Cambridge it was so open that you could see the road before you for miles.

'The Gilrags country is about the best, and foxes are now well 'taken care of. The Warden country belongs to the Oakley, but 'is lent to the Cambridgeshire, and another portion to the Hertford'shire.

Potton, Haley, Gransden, Weavely, Waresley, Gamlingay, " are all large woods.

'There is a fine line of good scenting coverts for cub and spring hunting, namely, Paxton, Diddington, Brampton, Lymage and Calfer Woods; these are all in Huntingdonshire, and from them they often get a fox to run over the cream of the Fitzwilliam country. On the present Monday side they have some capital coverts; Paxton Wood is a sure find, and Megre and Perry 'woods are good for foxes. Then there is Grafham, where there 'is generally an old fox, but rarely any cubs. The river shuts 'this side off from the rest as the foxes never cross it. They hunt it once a fortnight. It joins the Fitzwilliam and Oakley on this 'side, and there is always a good show of foxes.

On the other Monday they go to the Warden side, and then they draw a great deal of Mr. Whitbread's property, where there are always plenty of foxes, and also the good coverts Palmer's Wood and Shear Hatch. On the Friday they have Lord Hard'wicke's at Wimpole Park, Eversden Wood, and Kingston Wood,

' one of the best in the country, in which they have plenty of foxes; ' and there is also Haley Wood, a capital covert belonging to Major "Vernon. Potton Wood, with good rides, is also a sure find. Hatley Wood is good, as are Buff Wood and Gilrags, and there is a capital osier-bed at Morden.

On the Friday there is a good

meet called Childerley Gate, ' about six miles from Cambridge. Hardwicke Wood is a nice 4 covert; so is one at Long Stanton. There is a good gorse at Westwick, and nice spinneys at Boxworth and Madingley.

As in many other countries, before foxhounds were regularly established, 'hounds were kept here which hunted both fox and hare; and amongst those were Sir Thomas Hatton's of Long Stanton; Sir "Charles Nightingale's of Kneesworth House, and Mr. Wortham's. 'About the year 1790 General Barnett of Stratton Park and his brother Mr. James Barnett had a pack of foxhounds, which they kept at Stratton, and hunted part of Cambridgeshire and part of Beds, even going as far as Clapham Park, near Bedford, and round Putnoe; and there exists a story of their finding a fox, supposed to be the same, on seven successive Mondays at Gilrags. The 'brothers were huntsman and whip, assisted by one John, who was 'their groom and valet, and who appeared in the field as a sort of 'second whip.

After them came Mr. Robert Denne of Tempsford Hall, who ' was very fond of coursing, and had some first-rate greyhounds, which always distinguished themselves at the Cardington Coursing 'Meetings. He hunted the country between Huntingdon and Cambridge; and Tom Sebright (rather a heavy man) was his hunts'man. His kennels were at Tempsford. Hunting at this period 'were Mr. George Thornhill of Diddington House, Mr. F. Pemberton of Trumpington, Mr. Nathaniel Wedd of Trumpington, Sir Charles Cotton of Madingley, father of Sir St. Vincent Cotton, 'who drove the Brighton "Age;" Mr. F. Cockayne of Ickleford House, Mr. Charles M. Cheere of Papworth House, Mr. J. Campbell of Burnham Grove, Mr. John Foster of Royston, and Sir Charles Nightingale of Kneesworth.

'After Mr. Denne there was a long interregnum, when there were no regular foxhounds, but the country was partially hunted in the 'old style by harriers. This state of things continued until the 'country was taken and duly established in December 1818, when ' an agreement was entered into between Sir George Leeds and the 'subscribers, who found twenty-five couple of hounds, in which he ' undertook, in consideration of an annual subscription of 700 guineas, and two horses, the price of which was 105. (which were to be 'considered his own), to hunt the country twice a week-on "Tuesdays and Fridays. The original subscribers were Mr. King John Haggerston of Cambridge, Mr. Edward Humphreys Green ' of Hinxston, Mr. William Hurrell of Foxton, Mr. William Beaumont of Whaddon, Mr. William Hurrell, jun., of Newton, Mr. 'Thomas Nash of Whitlesford, Mr. Charles Finch of Cambridge,

Mr. Salisbury Dunn of Whitlesford, Mr. George Dobson of Evers'den, Mr. John Trigg of Melbourne, Mr. H. Thurnall, of Whitlesford, Mr. R. Comings of Cambridge, Mr. G. Wallace of Meldreth, ' and Mr. Thomas Mitchell, who kept the Eagle at Cambridge; but in spite of the legal document, when Sir George Leeds gave up, 'there was a great dispute as to whom the hounds belonged, and the ' opinion of the then Serjeant Talfourd was taken on the construction of the agreement. Sir George had been Equerry to H.R.H. the 'Duke of Sussex, and was created a baronet in 1812, and this pack was called the Croxton; but he had previously had a pack of fox'hounds for a short time, which he gave up for harriers for two years, and after that he took to hunting fox again regularly for three seasons. His huntsman was Will Butler, from the Pytchley, whose 'father lived with John Warde. He came in 1818, and his last place was with Lord Henry Bentinck when he was quite an old man; and ' when they did not get on well in the field he used to say, "I shall "have a long letter all about this from my lord to-night, but I "shan't read it; I never do."

་

At this period Cambridgeshire was not nearly so much enclosed as it is now, and each field was divided by large balks, the headlands were never ploughed, and it was a great trial of nerve to ride over 'them; for if a horse had not good shoulders he was sure to come ' down in the grips. Joe Leeds, the son of the Master, was also very 'well known with the Oakley as a capital rider, and I have heard that it was he who sold the celebrated Clinker, ridden by Captain Ross in the Clinker and Radical match from Barkby Holt to The Coplow, to Mr. Frank Holyoake for 500 guineas. A leading man also with them was Sir St. Vincent Cotton of Madingley, Lord Ludlow of Cople, who had only one arm, was also a very fine sportsman; so were the Hon. Samuel Ongley of Sandy Place, and 'Mr. Monk; Sir Peter Payne of Blunham House, father-in-law of Mr. Charles Barnett, was a most particular man about his weight, ' and would not carry letters to be franked because, he said, they made him heavy; Mr. Oriel Barker of Peter House, and Mr. Alington ' of Barford were good sportsmen; the Lindsells and Hoggs of Big'gleswade, the Hurrells of Foxton and Newton, and H. Thurnall of Whitlesford were regular leading men; and John Cross, a livery'stable keeper, could find his way across country; as could also Mr. Williams, an undergraduate of Trinity; Sir Peter Soame of Hey'don House, who had a famous Vivaldi mare, and was far in advance ' of others in the country in point of condition; old Tom Mitchell of the Eagle, George Gotobed of the Black Bull, and Dr. Stanley, 'all of Cambridge, and Mr. William Beaumont of Whaddon were 'generally to be seen in the field; Mr. Pat Beales, who went well 'on a long, low pony, and was not to be beaten; and Fletcher, who C kept the Leeds Arms, and was Sir George's factotum.

To Sir George succeeded, in 1826, Mr. William Hurrell of 'Newton, and his cousin Mr. W. Hurrell of Foxton. For one or 6 two seasons John Arber was their huntsman; after that Mr. Swan

'Hurrell of Foxton took the horn, he was a fine horseman and hard 'to follow, as he made his horses wonderfully handy; Jack Ward, 'who, later, went with the hounds to Stratton, was whip. This 'Ward's father was a woodman to Lord Fitzwilliam at Milton; he ' commenced his career in the stables and kennels, and was then set to whip-in to Tom Sebright.

In 1829 Mr. Charles Barnett of Stratton Park, who had previously, in 1823, kept harriers for three seasons, assumed the management. "Of course during his long reign as Master of these hounds he had many servants. His first huntsman in the season of 1829 and '30 'was Jack Ward, Mr. Barnett himself working hard in the field, 'backed up by Rook the boiler, and, after Mr. Osbaldeston's plan, they often split the pack, and each made his own cast. The sub'scription was a small one, 800l., and they only professed to hunt 'twice a week.

'On the 6th of the following October Jem Morgan, who had been 'engaged as huntsman, came out for the first time, and the following month nine and a half couple of hounds came from Lord Southampton; but in the following season (1830-1) Mr. Barnett was obliged to part with Morgan, and was once more at work with Jack Ward and the boiler until Laker came as whip, and then 'Ward was regularly installed as huntsman. These two went on 'well together through the next season, when they were a good deal stopped by frost, and also through the two succeeding ones.

In 1834 Mr. Barnett gave up the Warden country, and Laker 'left to go as first whip to Mr. Dansey, then Master of the Oakley; ' and Harry Darlowe, a very slow man, who was drafted at the end of the season, came in his place. In 1835-6 John Ward was 'assisted by Dick Smith, a sharp, light lad, son of Lord Middleton's 'old huntsman. In the following year Charles Ward, commonly 'known as Bob, and who so signed himself once, we believe, 'to Lord Dacre's astonishment, and who was no relation to John 'before mentioned, came to Mr. Barnett from Mr. Harvey Combe, 'having been whip to Will Todd. He was a native of Brixworth. 'When quite a lad he got hung up by a hook in a plum-tree, and he is, we should think, the only huntsman who ever hunted and killed a bull, which he did with Mr. Wood's harriers. As a whip 'he was exceedingly active, and was called "Ubiquity Bob," and as a huntsman both in field and kennel he has proved himself nulli 'secundus. In 1838 Mr. Barnett took to the Warden country again. • For several seasons there was no change in the establishment; but in 1842 Mr. George Race acted as whip in the place of Bob Ward, "who slipped into the copper and was badly scalded. In 1843 a draft ' of old and young hounds was sent to the Cape of Good Hope to 'Major Hogge and the officers of the 7th Dragoon Guards, to hunt 'jackals. The season of 1844-5 is recorded as very bad in Cambridgeshire, owing to want of scent and a long frost in February. At this time also the subscriptions began to fall off, and a meeting