THE HOUNDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 996, 16 July 1883, Page 2

THE HOUNDS.

Thanks to the kindness of the Otago Hunt Club, the Ashburton sporting men were enabled last week to drink to repletion of the “ sport of kings, the image of war ” and, (as our old friend Jorrocks parodisos), “with only five and twenty per cent, of its danger.” Doubtless, Mr Jorrocks over-estimated the danger, as notwithstanding the numerous accidents of last week we have none of a serious nature to record. The gentleman who regards it as a sacred duty to excel the most excellent —often to the serious detriment of a long suffering nose —discharged this little obligation at Mr Hunt’s on Thursday with the usual picturesque result, but came up radiant on Saturday and jumped a terrific gate, v.hich the rest of the field preferred opening. Another gentleman found a few stitches from Ur. Ross necessary to confine his mouth within becoming dimensions after Saturday’s run, and a farmer at Winslow has three human teeth in his possession found on conclusion of the sport which may be obtained on ap-

plication and payment of expenses. These trifling incidents are not sufficient to support Mr Jorrocks’s estimate of the danger. We have already given a brief account of Wednesday’s run, but may supplement it by stating that Messrs Williamson, Friedlander, and Madden granted the country, and that the veteran Alma, ridden by a stranger from Dunedin, was in the field -the first—and stopped there —the rider did not —he aspired to, and went into the second. The same day Mr F. Shury was unfortunate enough to place his mare hors de combat by a nasiy cut received from a barbed wire in the last fence. On Thursday that deservedly popular family of sportsmen—Messrs Hunts—had a beautiful line of country selected over their own and Messrs Carter and Jones’s farms. The going was very heavy, and the jumping more so, but Messrs Hutchison, Hart, Cargill, Wroughton, Denshire, and Smith stuck to the hounds as they always do, and it is unnecessary to add that the Messrs Hunt never selected a fence save what they could and would jump. Friday saw the hounds at another wpll-tried and hospitable country —Messrs Corbett and Frisby’s. The attendance was poor and the sport of much the same character, several prominent riders nursing their horses for Saturday’s run, and the hounds repeatedly leaving the drag for hares. Messrs Smith and Cargill had a lot of hard riding, which they appeared to relish more than their horses. We also noticed Mr Max Friedlander on an old favorite, both going in their usual good form and always just there. Saturday’s run was worthy of the occasion—the country good, jthe bounds

eager, and the ranks of the light weights, who were able to ride hard and be out every day, were set off by some heavy weights, older faces, who mide their solitary appearance oh this occasion. Throwing off iu the Longbenoh road, the hounds ran at a merry pace across Messrs Wilson, Martin, and Foster’s farm, killing near the Winslow Hotel. After a twenty minutes’ spell, during which the capacity of the hostelry was tested to its utmost, the hounds were again cast off and some big country negotiated, an unusually large number of empty saddles resulting. At one fence, prepared by Mr Foster, the whole of the first flight, with the exception of the huntsman and Messrs Hart and Owen Saunders, came to more or less grief, but the architect had evidently anticipated casualities, and the landing was as soft as—well, for the lack of an expressive metaphor, we will state fact—two feet of mud and water. An enthusiastic sports man, whose bulk and pluck were in an inverse ratio to the capacity of his steed, looked back on his followers to the fence and pathetically beseeched them to stop while he found his horse’s head, and this important member was actually “lost to sight,” but from the characteristic , expressions of the horseman we gather that it was not “to memory dear.” After several ineffectual casts and the receipt of much advice as to which end the head would rbe found, the line was hit. off anil the object extricated. After this obstacle the country was lighter, and many of those thrown out regained their positions. In addition to the gentlemen mentioned we noticed Messrs Cargill, Hutchison, Hunt (3), Winter, Wroughton, Stitt, Simpson, Martin, Brett and several others, where good horsemen should always be.