The New York herald., 1922-04-23
English Horseman From U. S.
Tells of Following Hounds
in Troubled Free State.
DAY WITH BRAY HARRIERS
'Wound Up to Jump Any Line
Of Country and Glad Of
1t, He Says.
ny CAPT. H. H. HOLMES.

invitation of sportsman well known
with the three packs of foxhounds tnat
hunt the country round about Middle
burg, Va, to do a 'soapy sponge hunt-
ing tour" through Ireland and England.
We left Virginia in January to board
the good ship Scythia and found three
more "foxhunters'' on the same erranu.
They were Miss Marion Hollins. as we'll
known In the hunting field and on the
polo grounds as on the golf links Sir
Robert Green Price, NJ. f. III. of pack
(. Of hounds in Herefordshire, and de-
scendant Of long line Of masters.
He was temporarily absent from his
hounds owing to pressing business In
America most delightful sportsman,
and we we're sorry we could not accept
his invitation to hunt with him. The
third was a grandson OF old Jonn
Mytton, a renowned old sporting char-
acter as we'll known as his btograpner'
Niprod or Surteess immortal Jorrocks.
In Nfmrod's life" it is said that TO get
rid of a ft of hiccoughs Mytton set nre
to his nightshirt. From my concen-
trated shipboard friendship with his
grandson 1 can quite believe 1t to De
true. 1t was altogether wondertui
overture to the feast Of hunting tnat
was to come.
Running INTO IrOuUAcs
Nv friend and I left the boat at
Oueenstown--named something else now
by the Free Staters-and naturally ran
into trouble. We wanted to get 70 CORK
about twelve miles away. Usually .ne
train meets the boat but what Win
strikes and disorganization there was
nothing doing. Eventually we soe lns
Imperial Hotel to send motor Tor US
and our luggage. It necessitareo wv
trips and a lot of money.
We fully expected to be able 70 nire
hunters and have go with the MUS
kerry and the United Hunts. put unlike
former times there were no horses 70 oe
had. In fact. there are few good hunt
ers in Ireland now; statement that
many will hardly believe however
was told that all over the country pu.
the most convincing proof l had OF IL
was to see Jerry Roman return lroni
England with carload Of hunters ne
had purchased there. Owing to our In
ability to get away, due to railroad
strikes and fights. we wasted week
in Cork. Eventually we had to motor TO
Limerick at a hold-up rate, get on
train there for distance. and mad 70
motor again. staying a few days with
some very hospitabie friends In County
Mayo. Here. owing to the war ana
national friction. hunting had stopped,
but we met few keen followers that
got up at 5 o'clock, trained and motored
about forty miles on the chance OF
eallop with the Galway Blazers or the
South Mayo Hounds.
Disastrous Day.
This did not appeal to US, so we
trained and motored to Dublin, putting
up at the Shelbourne Hotel. We soon
ran across Job Johnson, dealer,- VINO
resided In America for many years. and
Is well known to all the prominent deal
ers here He assured US he could nnd
all the horses we wanted, so we decided
to hunt with the packs round Dublin
before going to England.
Our very first day was disastrous
one. Motoring to the meet OF the Ward
Union (stag) we had two blow-outs
which made us little late. We were
well mounted and both in the first flight
for a few fields, when my hosts horse
slid down a huge slippery bank and
broke his (the horses) shoulder. This,
OF course, stopped our hunting that day
Nobodys fault. just bad luck but It
was big bank. Looked to him like a
Grand Canyon" said my Virginia friend
afterward. One horse killed was GER
tainly bad start
!. The next few DAYS we hunted with
the Meath and the Kildares both fox
Held our own. but nothing exciting. We
tten went out with the Bray Harriers
fdrag). Started out in the morning
with the idea that they hunted hares
and were most Mortified to find out their
true and dangerous character. How
ever, there were compensations. At the
meet held in one of the suburbs OF Dub
lin. we were most lavishly entertained
~ am
line of country. Personally can say
II was Just this little bit of encourage
r,cnt that kept me from going home
after the first bank. 1t was a big one.
with a deep ditch. filled with mud.
water and slime. My horse made an
unsuccessful effort and slowly slid down
the bank into the ditch, with me UNDER
meath. He got up right away. only
stepping on me few times. and stood
still while ]. covered from head to foot
with Shiny mud. got up again. Then he
repeated the performance. except this
time he refused TO get off me or make
the slightest attempt TO get out OF the
A.tch.
Finish In Dublin Streets.
By this time there were forty or ifty
persons shouting advice, pulling me from
under the horse and whipping the latter
out OF the brook. Except that I wanted
drink very badly we were none the
worse. and after scraping myself and
finding a gap went on to be In time for
the second run. We really had a won
derful gallop then. finishing fourteen
strong out OF field OF about sixty.
Then some more compensation hap
pened, and II was much needed. This
time the drag finished almost in the
streets OF Dublin and at very hos
pitable place presided over by a famous
dealer In hunters, whose name, unfortu-
nately. I can't remember at the moment.
This was my third seasons hunting
II Ireland and thoroughly convinced me
tnat my former impressions of Irish
linting were correct. and nay host also
{ u that except as a novetv hunting
tlerc cannot be compared with that
SHOWN By any OF the good packs "
England.
The country Is a very .Teac.ierous one
10 ride over and calls for goat-like qpal-
iiies on your horses part. more than
bold. big jumping. II Is not surprising
a. see SO many loose horses when you
consider the nature OF the Jumps, and
many OF the very best schocicd horses.
tnrough no fault OF their owl or their
riders, come down. The most intelli-
gent horse and horseman can only gress
- rhe nature OF the bank h W negotia-
ating. IL may be solid. i may be
t,umbly ii usually is very slippery. AS
for the hounds. I have yet 10 gee an
Irish pack tha. can work halc ~ well as
those OF the better known OF tie English