Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-01-19
alunths' Column.
IN THE FIRST FLIGHT


"a southerly wind and a cloudy
sky proclaim it hunting morning."
So says the old English hunting song,
and on such a morning in the autumn
and winter months it is no uncom-
mon thing in merrie England to see
horsemen gathered together in scores,
sometimes in hundreds, to follow the
eager pack of hounds in pursuit of
the willy fox.
But cunning though Reynard be,
our Young Peoples Hunt Club, as
we may call it, has met to follow
more tricky and daring game, for
Jack Featherweight, mounted on his
gray cob Pete, is q plucky rider,
knows The country through and
through, and will scatter the shreds
which represent the "scent' in such
manner as to confuse and bewilder
the sharpest of his followers.
The sport of hare and hounds on
horseback differs somewhat from
ordinary fox-hunting, for whereas in
the latter the hounds chase the fox
and the riders follow the hounds, III
the former the riders represent the
hounds. They it is who follow the
scent, mark where it lies thick upon
the ground, and ride more slowly
where it is spread at long intervals.
Perhaps in spite of sharp eyes the
scent will be overridden. and the
leading horseman will do we'll to no.
tice where Pete's footprints come to
an end, as if the animal had stopped
there. and disappeared into the
ground. There Master Jack has
doubled upon his tracks. Having
brought Pete to q stand-stil, he
turns him around and rides back q
few rods; then strikes off in another
direction, thereby gaining two or
three minutes of time.
The rule is, as regards the "hare, y
that he be allowed to start five min
utes ahead of the hounds, and as
soon as he gets out of sight he begins
to scatter the scent. Then, when
time is up, the Master of the Hunt
sounds his horn and leads the way in
the direction that the hare was seen
to take.
Let us look at the hare and his
hunters in "full cry" over the mead
ows. Jack Featherweight has al
ready been mentioned. He and his
pony are old friends, and the one
knows that he can depend upon the
other in everything. Jack rides at
rail or ditch with full confidence
that Pete will carry him over it
somehow, or if not, that he will in-
form his rider by steadily refusing to
face the leap. Jack, indeed, when
he is in the hunting field, entertains
exaggerated ideas of Pete's jumping
powers, and is willing to put him to
afive-foot fence. when he knows that
Pete's limit is only an inch or two
over three feet. Fortunately for his
safety, Pete is not so ambitious
as his master.
Here is that gallant huntsman and
accomplished rider Arthur Martin.
gale. He is only ten years old, but
he rides with an ease, grace, and
nerve that many an older man NIGH
envy. See how he sits on his pony
with body leaning slightly forward
as the pony rises to the leap, hand:
lying low near the withers and jus
feeling the mouth, ready to hold hin
up when he lands on the other sid
of the fence. And it is hoped tina
the two will come over safely, an,
not meet with such an accident a
has happened to Tommy and hi
"mount," who are both in the act O
turning somersaults. Tommy
pony has struck the strong hurdl
with his knees, and the result is tina
Tommy has had a ''cropper. How
ever, the ground is soft and Tomm
is light, so the chances are that the
will both scramble to their feet ur
hurt; and as the pony will probabl
be even more frightened than Tomm
he will stand still and allow himse
to be caught.
But if it should happen that tt
pony should roll over the hapless be
or should strike him with his irol
shod hoofs, then perchance the
would be great sorrow in certa
country house where Tommy h;
been in the habit of ruling like
young king. No longer does h
jolly laugh, his merry song, his shr
whistle ring through the silent hous
Instead, his mother and the maids a
going about on tiptoes, end the do
tors buggy drives up three times d.
to that house, while the pony in |
stable wonders why he never sees
young master now, and begins
find out that people do not pet HI
so much as they used to. But
the spring comes round he hears t
sound of a familiar voice. 1t is
young master, thinner and pa
than of old, but still the same, ev
though that nasty ''cropper" in t
field has laid him on bed of sicknt
for months.
The young huntsmen that we ha
noticed are IN the first fight"
the phrase of hunting field has
but gallantry as well as her CAPT
riding should induce ms to olive