ContentsTheManwhoHuntsandDoesn\'tLikeitTheManwhoHuntsandDoesLikeitTheLadywhoRidestoHoundsTheHuntingFarmerTheManwhoHuntsandNeverJumpsTheHuntingParsonTheMasterofHoundsHowtoRidetoHoundsTHEMANWHOHUNTSANDDOESN\'TLIKEIT。
Itseemstobeodd，atfirstsight，thatthereshouldbeanysuchmenasthese;buttheirnameandnumberislegion。Ifweweretodeductfromthehunting—crowdfarmers，andotherswhohuntbecausehuntingisbroughttotheirdoor，oftheremainderweshouldfindthatthe\"menwhodon\'tlikeit\"havethepreponderance。Itisprettymuchthesame，Ithink，withallamusements。Howmanymengotoballs，toraces，tothetheatre，howmanywomentoconcertsandraces，simplybecauseitisthethingtodo？Theyhaveperhaps，avagueideathattheymayultimatelyfindsomejoyinthepastime;but，thoughtheydothethingconstantly，theyneverlikeit。Ofallsuchmen，thehuntingmenareperhapsthemosttobepitied。
Theyareeasilyrecognizedbyanyonewhocarestoscrutinizethemenaroundhiminthehuntingfield。Itisnottobesupposedthatallthosewho，incommonparlance，donotride，aretobeincludedamongthenumberofhuntingmenwhodon\'tlikeit。Manyamanwhosticksconstantlytotheroadsandlinesofgates，who，fromprinciple，neverlooksatafence，ismuchattachedtohunting。SomeofthosewhohavebornegreatnamesasNimrodsinourhuntingannalswouldaslifehaveledaforlorn—
hopeasputahorseataflightofhurdles。Butthey，too，areknown;andthoughthenatureoftheirdelightisamysterytostraight—goingmen，itismanifestenough，thattheydolikeit。
Theirtheoryofhuntingisatanyrateplain。Theyhaveanacknowledgedsystem，andknowwhattheyaredoing。Butthemenwhodon\'tlikeit，havenosystem，andneverknowdistinctlywhatistheirownaim。Duringsomeportionoftheircareertheycommonlytrytoridehard，andsometimesforawhiletheywillsucceed。Inshortspurts，whilethecherry—brandyprevails，theyoftenhavesmallsuccesses;butevenwiththeassistanceofaspurintheheadtheyneverlikeit。
DearoldJohnLeech！Whataneyehehadforthemanwhohuntsanddoesn\'tlikeit！Butforsuch，asapictorialchroniclerofthehuntingfieldhewouldhavehadnofame。Briggs，Ifancy，inhiswaydidlikeit。Briggswasafull—blooded，up—apt，awkward，sanguineman，whowasabletolikeanything，fromginandwaterupwards。ButwithhowmanyawretchedcompanionofBriggs\'arewenotfamiliar？menastowhomanygirlofeighteenwouldswearfromtheformofhisvisageandthecarriageofhislegsashesitsonhishorsethathewasseekinghonourwherehonourwasnottobefound，andlookingforpleasureinplaceswherenopleasurelayforhim。
Butthemanwhohuntsanddoesn\'tlikeit，hashismomentsofgratification，andfindsasourceofprideinhispenance。Inthesummer，huntingdoesmuchforhim。Hedoesnotusuallytakemuchpersonalcareofhishorses，asheisprobablyatownmanandhishorsesaresummeredbyakeeperofhuntingstables;buthetalksofthem。Hetalksofthemfreely，andthekeeperofthehuntingstablesisoccasionallyforcedtowritetohim。Andhecanrundowntolookathisnags，andspendafewhourseatingbadmuttonchops，walkingabouttheyardsandpaddocks，and，bleedinghalfcrownsthroughthenose。Inallthisthereisadelightwhichofferssomecompensationforhiswintermiserytoourfriendwhohuntsanddoesn\'tlikeit。
Hefindsitpleasanttotalkofhishorsesespeciallytoyoungwomen，withwhom，perhaps，theascertainedfactofhiswinteremploymentdoesgivehimsomecredit。Itisstillsomethingtobeahuntingmanevenyet，thoughthemultiplicityofrailwaysandtheexistingplethoraofmoneyhassoincreasedthenumberofsportsmen，thattokeepanagortwonearsomewell—knownstation，isnearlyascommonastodie。Butthedelightofthesemartyrsisatthehighestinthepresenceoftheirtailors;or，higherstill，perhaps，inthatoftheirbootmakers。Thehuntingmandoesreceivesomehonourfromhimwhomakeshisbreeches;
and，withawell—balancedsenseofjustice，thetailor\'sforemanis，Ithink，morepatient，moreadmiring，moredemonstrativeinhisassurances，morereadywithhisbitofchalk，whenhandlingthekneeofthemanwhodoesn\'tlikethework，thanheeveriswiththecustomerwhocomestohimsimplybecausehewantssomeclothesfitforthesaddle。Thejudiciousconciliatingtradesmanknowsthatcompensationshouldbegiven，andhehelpstogiveit。
Butthevisitstothebootmakerarebetterstill。Thetailorpersistsintellinghiscustomerhowhisbreechesshouldbemade，andafterwhatfashiontheyshouldbeworn;butthebootmakerwilltakehisordersmeekly。Ifnotruffledbypaltryobjectionsastothefitofthefoot，hewillaccedetoanyamountofinstructionsastothelegsandtops。Andthenanewpairoftopbootsisaprettytoy;Costly，perhaps，ifneededonlyasatoy，butverypretty，andmoredecorativeinagentleman\'sdressing—
roomthananyotherkindofgarment。Andtopboots，whenmultipliedinsuchalocality，whenseeninaphalanxtellsuchpleasantliesontheirowner\'sbehalf。Whileyourbreechesareasdumbintheirretirementasthoughyouhadnotpaidforthem，yourconspicuousbootsareeloquentwithathousandtongues！
Thereispleasurefound，nodoubt，inthis。
Astheseasondrawsnighthedelightsbecomevague，andstillmorevague;but，nevertheless，therearedelights。Gettingupatsixo\'clockinNovembertogodowntoBletchleybyanearlytrainisnotinitselfpleasant，butontheopeningmorning，onthefewfirstopeningmornings，thereisapromiseaboutthethingwhichinvigoratesandencouragestheearlyriser。Hemeanstolikeitthisyearifhecan。Hehasstillsomeundefinednotionthathisperiodofpleasurewillnowcome。Hehasnot，asyet，acceptedtheadverseverdictwhichhisownnaturehasgivenagainsthiminthismatterofhunting，andhegetsintohisearlytubwithacmeglowofsatisfaction。Andafterwardsitisnicetofindhimselfbrightwithmahoganytops，buff—tintedbreeches，andapinkcoat。TheordinaryhabilimentsofanEnglishgentlemanaresosombrethathisowneyeisgratified，andhefeelsthathehasplacedhimselfinthevanguardofsocietybythusshininginhisapparel。Andhewillridethisyear！Heisfixedtothatpurpose。
Hewillridestraight;and，ifpossible，hewilllikeit。
ButtheEthiopcannotchangehisskin，norcananymanaddacubittohisstature。Hedoesn\'tlikeit，andallaroundhiminthefieldknowhowitiswithhim;hehimselfknowshowitiswithotherslikehimself，andhecongregateswithhisbrethren。
Theperiodofhispenancehascomeuponhim。Hehastopaythepriceofthosepleasantinterviewswithhistradesmen。Hehastoexpiatethefalseboastsmadetohisfemalecousins。Thatrowofbootscannotbemadetoshineinhischamberfornothing。Thehoundshavefound，andthefoxisaway。Menarefasteningontheirflat—toppedhatsandfeelingthemselvesintheirstirrups。
Horsesarehotfortherun，andthemomentforlikingithascome，ifonlyitwerepossible！
Butatmomentssuchasthesesomethinghastobedone。Themanwhodoesn\'tlikeit，lethimdislikeiteversomuch，Cannotcheckhishorseandsimplyridebacktothehuntingstables。Heunderstandsthatwerehetodothat，hemustthrowuphiscapatonceandresign。Norcanhetroteasilyalongtheroadswiththefatoldcountrygentlemanwhoisoutonhisroughcob，andwho，lookinguptothewindandrememberingthepositionofadjacentcoverts，willgiveagoodguessastothedirectioninwhichthefieldwillmove。No;hemustmakeaneffort。Thetimeofhispenancehascome，andthepenancemustbeborne。Thereisasparkofpluckabouthim，thoughunfortunatelyhehasbroughtittobearinawrongdirection。Thebloodstillrunsathisheart，andheresolvesthathewillride，ifonlyhecouldtellwhichway。
Thestoutgentlemanonthecobhastakentheroadtotheleftwithafewcompanions;butourfriendknowsthatthestoutgentlemanhasalittlegameofhisownwhichwillnotbesuitableforonewhointendstoride。Thenthecrowdinfronthasdivideditself。Thosetotherightrushdownahilltowardsabrookwithaford。Oneortwo，menwhomhehateswithanintensityofenvy，havejumpedthebrook，andhavesettledtotheirwork。
Twentyorthirtyothersarehustlingthemselvesthroughthewater。Thetimeforajudiciousstartonthatsideisalreadygone。Butothers，acrowdofothers，arefacingthebigploughedfieldimmediatelybeforethem。Thatisthestraightestriding，andwiththemhegoes。Whyhasthescentlainsohotovertheup—
turnedheavyground？Whydotheygosofastatthistheveryfirstblushofthemorning？Fortuneisalwaysagainsthim，andthehorseispullinghimthroughthemudasthoughthebrutemeanttodraghisarmoutofthesocket。Atthefirstfence，asheissteadyinghimself，abutcherpasseshimroughlyinthejumpandnearlytakesawaythesideofhistopboot。Heisknockedhalfoutofhissaddle，andinthatconditionscramblesthrough。