THE STORYTELLER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 878, 7 February 1879, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE STORYTELLER.

THE BELLE OF THE HUNT. (From Baili/'s Magazine.) Although many years have elapsed sine*? the incidents recorded in the following brief sketch took place, and thread* of silver are somewhat thickly intermixed with the raven locks of which in those days I was not a little vain, the circumstances are still as fresh in my memory, ami hang as drearily tiffin my heart, and will continue to do so until the inexorable seythe-liearer, with the final "Whowiioop!" calls me to be first in at my own death.

Sjiort and sjH>rtsmen have much changed since those days of " auld lang syne," and, in my opinion, not for thVbettcr. Racing, as it has directed attention to and also improved the breed of horses, may he an exception; but there is such a vast amount of speculation and hypothesis even in

that as to render any degree of reliance perfectly futile; and although the wreat "Doctor" propounds theories and enunciates his doctrines -with a vigour and grandiloquence which would have added lustre to his illustrious and defunct relative, the immortal lexicographer, we are compelled to admit that they frequently fall through, and view horses, which from their blood have been stigmatised as wretches, winning races in good company at distances. A motto with us was, that a good horse was never of a bad colour; and if a man kept his place at the tail of the hounds, and never shirked his fences, he Avas considered a fair and straight rider; and most certain it is that those would-be fox-hunters, who, attired in pink and life-guardsman's boots, follow the lanes, and pay yokels to open the gates for them, are not fit to be mentioned in the same century with him. How in the name of all that is vulpine can a man be expected to i - ide in a pair of boots that come half-way up to his thigh ? Where, then, is the flexibility of the knee, so necessary to the firmness of your seat and the government of your animal ? Depend upon it that brown tops, green coat and buckskins,

are all that a sportsman requires; and if a man sported scarlet in the oldfashioned days of which I am writing he was considered a leader in the field, and generally expected to show the way.

The advent of railways caused me the most profound grief, and well-nigh drove me to despair. What can be more disgusting and distasteful than a shrieking, snorting train hurling through our fairest counties, cutting up our surest coverts, and trailing, like some long-tailed demon of the nether I world, across our very lawns 1 How a ! man who has had his cheek fanned by the sweet breeze of heaven can permit himself to be cooped up, like one of the bovine genus, in those infernal compartments, exceeds belief. There may be an excuse for a merchant, who never heard the melody of a pack, thus immolating himself upon the altar of commerce ; or a detective, when pursuing a " foul murderer" may deem if: necessary to sacrifice himself at the shrine of justice by partially suffocating himself for a time in the same nauseating boxes ; but there is no excuse for a sportsman who has heard hill and valley ring with the music of the huntsman's horn, and seen the face of nature teem with every variety of loveliness, immuring himself in the living sarcophagus. Verily the Grand Kniperor was not far short of the mark when he characterised us as a nation of shopkeepers. Dear and lamented delights of stage coach travelling, how sad it is that ye arc things of the past! What can surpass, or even equal, a well-appointed team of four blood hor.ses, and twlve miles an hour, including stoppages 1 How have we finessed and fought for the coveted boxseat, with an ardour and enthusiasm which, in a different cause, would have conferred upon us, at least, the title and distinction of General of Discussion. What crowns and weeds have not dropped into the palm of the guard, and how often have we bribed everyone connected with the management, from the surly book-keeper in his sentrybox to the knock-kneed ostler who threw the " ribands" to the Jehu, to attain that elevated position by the side of the driver. And when after the last nod of our friend, and a wink to the pretty barmaid, who had come to the door " to'see the coach off,'' we are fairly under weigh, how pleasant and delightful the gossip and garrulity of our companion, who points out every seat and mansion upon the road, and is as clearly acquainted with their affairs, internal and external, as the proprietors themselves. " You see that white house with the rookery on the off side, sir I The gentleman wot lived there was the largest breeder of game cocks in all the country, and would back them, too. for all sorts of money. Howsumever, it brought him to grief at last. He had met with an accident when out with the hounds, and broke his leg just after he hae made a match to tight a man for a thousand ponnds ; but, being an obstinate, passionate man, he insisted upon having it off in his bedroom, and swore awful as, propped up with pillows, he saw his bird getting the worst of it. Well, as the battle went on he grew more excited, and turned nearly black in the face ; and just as the steel spur went through the head of the cock he had backed so heavily, they heard a rattle in his throat, and the doctor, who was present, took out his fleam and stuck him in the neck ; but no blood came, and he was quite dead, caused as I heered afterwards, by appleplexy." A yam or two thus spun, and we had arrived at our first " change," where the red gleam through the diamondshaped panes invited the limbs somewhat chilled by a keen and biting wind ; but a tankard of nut-brown October soon sends the blood leaping through our veins, and with the well-known " All-rHit!" we are again upon the road : and getting gradually clear from " towns and cities, and the abodes of men," we receive the reins from coachee, and as he complacently smokes the cigars selected from our case, he fives us, with the greatest good nature, but in almost unintelligible idioms, the first lesson in tooling a four-in-hand. Through a long vista of chequered years I can still remember each incident which marked those days of enjoyment, whilst in my dreams, both waking and sleeping, will appear visions of the " Tallv-ho" and " Wonder," the fastest and best-appointed coaches upon the road, ere my detestation and abhorrence, the railway, spread its manifold and iron arms throughout the land. Nestling in a fertile and picturesque vallev, which ran through a portion of the beautiful county of Warwickshire, was Highfield Hall, the seat of Edmund °Esq., or, as he was generally designated, Squire Lacey. A vast and irregular pile, it had once formed a stronghold in the feudal ages, and still retained massive and gloomy towers, that imparted to the building a stern look of barbaric grandeur; albeit modern improvements, in the shape of a wing added here, and a block appended there, gave it an appearance at once quaint and heterogeneous. The moat, half dried up, still surrounded the hybrid structure, and the solid oaken* gate, studded with iron bolts, groaned uneasily upon its rusty hinges, and seemed to defy the all-conquering hand of Time, when so many generations of the brave and fail- who had

issued from its fortal had succumbed to the destroyer. The ivy of centuries clung to and concealed the crumbling walls and ruined buttresses, and altogether the edfice led the thoughts back to the days of. chivalry; and a little stretch of imagination could still picture the sentinel pacing the watch-tower, and the knight carousing in the hall. The Squire was a thorough sportsman of the old school, who broke his own dogs and horses, and was well versed in every species of woodcraft ; could manufacture his particular fly when bent upon whipping a stream; and knew to a certainty where to pitch upon a fox, and to an inch every earth in the neighborhood where the varmint could run to ground. Open house was kept at the hall, and refugees from all parts of the country therein found a temporary home, and, with a largess from the open-handed gentleman, went on their way rejoicing. One motherless daughter was his only care, thought, and solace. In her was centred every hope and wish of a generous heart; and as Ellen Lacey is the unfortunate heroine of my narrative, it is time a little was said of the Belle of the Hunt. To describe a beautiful woman and a perfect horse is perhaps the most difficult matter that falls to the lot of a writer, from the simple fact that both the one and the other have been so frequently delineated, that words are wanting to complete the portrait; and it would require the pen of Bulwer or Scott to do anything like justice to the glorious beauty of the Squire's only child. Tall, lithe, and graceful as the mountain ash ; the contour of her figure was rounded and perfect ; and to the face of Minerva was added the majestic presence of a Juno. The red lips, when parted, disclosed teeth of snowy whiteness, whilst the black hail-, which wore the bloom of the sloe or damson, formed a marked contrast to the eyes of dark blue, which gleamed and glittered like stars when their owner was excited by the dangers of the chase. She was a perfect horsewoman, and Heaven knows that my blood has danced like stars when my hand has received her dainty foot to assist her on her thoroughbred mare, who, seemingly conscious of its lovely burden, would arch its graceful neck and neigh with grateful pleasure as the tiny hand of its mistress caressed the glossy crest; and when in the field, and elated with the music of the pack, full of fire and ardour, no fence dismayed her, but she rode as straight and gallantly as the staunchest veteran among theni. It is no wonder, then, that she was a favorite with all, from the wrinkled-faced huntsman and the bandy-legged earthstopper to every bold and fiery youth who would risk life and limb to be first up, and so achieve the coveted honor of presenting the brush to beauteous Ellen ; whilst her father's eyes would gleam with joy as he gazed fondly upon the radiant face of his girl, rendered doubly beautiful by the excitement of the run. There was one, with dark, flashing eyes and vigorous form, who was never far from her side in field or bower, and, to judge from appearances, he was by no means an unacceptable attendant ; and whilst maiiy an irate and envious glance has been turned upon him by Nimrods less favored, they were merely met with a knowing and quiet smile, as though he thought himself the possessor of that love which so many craved. And so, in truth, he was; and never was a brave and fearless youth more worthy the affection of a young and lovely maiden ; for he had borne himself like a hero upon the battle field in defence of his country, and excelled all his compeers in the noble sports and pastimes of a country gentleman; and when, upon succeeding to his estates, he asked the happy girl to become his wife, the downcast eye and flushing cheek proclaimed that his prayer was granted, whilst the hearty grasp of the hand bestowed upon him by the squire ratified the auspicious contract. The lawyers having duly prepared the documents usual ujwm such occasions, a period was fixed for the event to take place ; and to commemorate it, and also to enable them to take leave of old and dear friends, a meet was appointed at the hall for the day previous; and at the sumptuous breakfast-table goblets were quaffed of generous wine to the happiness of the joyous pair, and a «ayer or more gallant cavalcade never fasued through that antique portal, and, with hearts glowing with delight, took their way to the covert's side. Reynard is found, and the pack are away, and, as usual, the Belle of the Hunt and her lover are with the leaders; but presently the Squire's horse falls, and although ziot much shaken, he expresses his determination to take no further share in the fun, but will just drop in at the parson's, and tell him to be punctual on the following day ; so, with a wave of the hand and many a loving word, the old gentleman crosses the stile and makes his way to the vicarage, whilst his daughter and her affianced prepare to make up lost "round and rejoin the field, now some distance ahead. The fox is a stout one and has bothered them on one or two previous occasions, and keeps up his reputation to-day by leading them a bursting run of some twenty-five miles, running, howevei-, almost a ring, and finally heading for the covert from whence he broke first; but the country was heavy and fences stiff, and but few of the " goodly companie " have lived the pace; consequently, when the dofs are running into him in a patch of gorse, about two miles from the hall, few, save our hero and the heroine, are in the hunt. A lane, bounded by stiff posts and rails, is the last impediment ; and quite sufficient too, for the cattle have had enough of it; so, steadying them, they take the fence side by side. Alas! one only lands in safety; for the mare ridden by Ellen, catching the top bar, goes over a purler, with the Squire's daughter completely beneath her. The horror-struck lover, throwing himself from his horse, rushes to extricate his beloved from the perilous position; but as he raises her in his arms a red stream flows from her lips —her eyes, e'en now, lack fire and lustre —her ai-ms fall listless to her side—for she is dead ! Her neck has been dislocated by the fall, and in one brief moment all that remained of that good and glorious being was an inanimate yet still lovely mass. Not one word did the lover utter, but with fixed and stony eyes, and supportin"' her still in his arms, he strides away to the hall, and, although the

distance is somewhat long, he rests not nor relinquishes his adored burden until he has laid her in her own sacred chamber, when, with one cold hand clasped in his, he kneels by her side, and a groan of agony, no longer to be borne, bursts from his white and trembling lips. No pen of mine can describe a scene so fraught with horror; for the cheery voice of the Squire is heard in the courtyard, and none of the hoi Tor-stricken domestics have had the nerve to break the appallingintelligence: and even now his foot is on the stairs, as he calls in tones of love his daughter's name . but at the last moment a greyhaired and favorite servant rushes forward, and dragging his master aside, beseeches him, as he bathes his hand with tears, to prepare to hear news of fearful sorrow. In a moment the old mau seemed to comprehend that some harm had befallen his daughter; so with a powerful arm he sweeps the servitor aside, and in an instant is gazing upon that scene so sad. Yet Heaven is merciful; and as he looked upon her who alone had been his hope, now stark and lifeless, reason iled from her throne, and the hale, strong-minded man became a helpless imbecile.

Little now remains to be told. In a few days the rustic church, which was to have received her a happy beauteous bride, became the receptacle of her motionless form; and the poor old father peered at the ceremony, totally unconscious of its dreary import, whilst a youth with clainmy brow and folded arms looked on as though he too could not perfectly understand why the mournful group had assembled ; and although patrician and peasant crowded round the grave, there was not one lip but quivered, nor an eye but paid a tribute to the hapless fate of the Belle of the Hunt.