A RUN WITH THE HOUNDS IN WAIKATO. (BY A NEW CHUM.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2071, 15 October 1885, Page 3

A RUN WITH THE HOUNDS IN WAIKATO. (BY A NEW CHUM.)

A STRANC.Kit arriving from Homo with the intention of settling in a now country generally forms his opinion of his new surroundings by first impressions. If he be of a, sporting turn, has followed the hounds in his youth, has duv en t.nuluin to AHCot, or has taken odds on the I'eiby, his first inqumos on arrival arc generally of * sporting tendency. ll is linpiessjons of his adopted country arc either good or bad, as its sporting attiactions are'plentiful or scarce. As one of this class of humanity, I nm-*t confoss my impressions of tlio Auckland sporting world are veiy gre.it indeed ; my anticipations weic more than realised, and to an> gentlemen whose youth lias been *pent (or misspent) in a liberal indulgence in the held sports of mother England, and who has his doubts about "life" m the colonies, all 1 can sn> is, remove all doubts from your mind, for m this country there is little to wish for Remember I only speak as a spotting individual, for as to anytning else I do not venture an opinion. Heading th.it the Pakuranga hounds were to have a scries of runs through Wuikato, I made up my mind to Bee a colonial hunt for the first tune ; to see those gay young bucks «f farmers' sons ; those promising sprouting, embryotic young squires of whose daring horscuian«hip and spanking mounts I had heaid no much ; those daredevil btrekrider chap 1 * with their hardy mustang steeds, of whose daring exploits ami miraculous performances, colonial guidebooks and descnptive literature have £ot a lot to say. It in quite a treat V> see a good old English fo\ hunt, but to travel vuth the beagles of this country in such grand company as that to which I have referred must, I thought, ba something worth chronicling for pros l>enty. And so it was! That I may not be peisonal, I will not say where 01 upon what day wo met, suffice it to say that we did meet, and in very fair countiy too. A short timo after the hour appointed the horsemen and horsewomen began, in showman phrase to "roll up." The company was soon formed and a motley group they were. My first impression was that these good people who now had gathered around mo had mistaken the object of the assembly, and had left their homes for the undoubted purpose of attending a salt, w itiie-'sing an eviction, or taking part in a political demonstration Kut the red coat* of the huntsman (a regular old foxey of undoubted training) and hja assistant the whip, dispelled the allusion, and left no doubt on my mind that T was for the first time about to take pait in one of the most exciting events of my life. Hut, alas, for the brevity of human happiness ! A haro rises and strides across the paddock; everybody shouts "There hlih goes, and simultaneously "go" themselves; the huntsman blows his hoin and in vain cues "Now, gentlemen, keep back, ' at the same time cncoiiraKuix the dogs to "«et away for'ard ;" thu furry fugitive takes over the country, the hounds are in hot pursuit, and a t-traggling niulti tude (with little exception) mounted on scraggy, bioken-kneed screws, with pio jecting ribs and ungroomod coat, follow in the.r roar. l'a«sing me .it .v stiff g.illi>j>, ntandmg in the stirrups with his hair like the bristles of a porcupine, and waving a belltopper frantically in the air goes one of the village publiciim. There at the h indsomoly trimmed little thorn fonce, which threatens danger to neither man noi boast, breaking it down in a dozen different places, rido a score of insolent, horseylooking youths, rivalling each other in the extent of their mischief and disregarding the advice of the few gentlemen who give a tone to the crowd. What do they care for the unfortunate farmer whoso kindly per mission they have obtained and abused Such would be whipped out of a good old English hunting field, but here toallappoaranres they are very respectable unit?. " Who is that trying to flog and spur a broken-down old mare with only three legs over the post and rails V" " < >h, that," replies my friend, "is the tho butcher boy, a highly lesiiected mem ber of tho local turf, and who has won many local event*." That hirsute cub, hw eating loudly at the little jnmy, is m the blacksmith lino, and that is the bakei'n lior-te which he has borrowed for t!i«j occa num. The g.-ntoel, Hastily dressed young man in top* and buckskin tights on the white nag is a draper's apprentice. He will ieirn to ude some day if he doesnt bieak Ins neck in the meantime, showing off before old Cudgelhead s daughter on the chestnut. " Who is that noisy, half-tipsy boy mi tlie horse with the sore back, who runs at everything with an oath, and pull i lg heavily on the ono rein, jumps nothing?" "Oh, that's old Poorboy'b son, of l'oorboy and Room, storekeepers, one of our district sportsmen, always rides a good screw, and has lots of money. Fine Chap!" Ho I should think by his manly appearance and evident good breeding, winch in lc»s civilised countries would land him in the penitentiary. " That old chap," continues my friend, "with the unshod i>ony, which by right of weitfht and humanity should bo on hn back instead of he being on its, and who is now discus^inf; a small flask under the lee of the willow, is the village shoemaker, and his acquaintance on the heavy carthorse, which is completely done up, is old Bmk.s the ttilor. These two gentlemen are the life of tho hunt and always treat themselves to a spin with the 'ounds every year." The catalogue is not compete, but we will pass on over to the other sido of the paddock, where the horsemen .'ire all moodily lounging about waiting for the pack, which have collared the h.ue m a clump of ti-tree, and are just feasting on thu carcase. It has commenced to rain heivily, the do^s are nowhere to be seen, .md everybody looks miserable, particn I irly the three solitary ladies and the little girl, who arc sans covering, sans shelter, and indeed, I may Hay, sans sympathy. Ah, what a day we're having, to be sure ! By-and-byo the dogs again make their appearance , the scent seems all over the country, for the pack divides, and every two or tlneo dog* havo a lay of their own, and aie followed by a division of the j horsemen, breaking tluough wire fences, | smashing down fragile rails about twelve inches from the ground, knocking over inoffensive gate^, and enjoying themselves generally. Now and then some stupid youth send.s his nurse at an impossibility, and gets a croncr fur his uuins. He picks hunsulf up, and remounting looks like a man whose bravery and dare-devil spirit merits thu applause of nations. His example is followed by ono or two others, and with a like result, until there is a gap that the Chariots of David might pass through, and thus a few hours aiu fooled away smithi ng about from farm to farm. Verily this i» a snorting community. The spirit of manly snort pervades everybody, from the boy woo rides the butcher's home and the itoiekoeper's apprentice to the moneyed publican, and tho country squatter. IJtit whore, Oh where aio tho manly youths, tho gentlemanly faimeis, Bonn, and the bucolic old dogs themselves whom one might expect to see indulging in the manly pastime of their fathers ? Echo, answeis " Where !" Wlicio again may I ask, are these in. wily young stockriders of which one hears ho much, with thoir hardy mustangs ? The hunt of which I had the honour to be a unit included very few of this stamp. Certainly thei c wei c a few gentleman, well mountea, who rodejhonestly when there was riding to bo done, and whoso company I may say was about the only redeeming feature of the day's outing. This, sir, is my impression of a day with tho hounds in Waikato. Perhaps I have been too candid and have said too much, if so you can bury this treasure in the archives of your sanctum, or better still relegate it to the honour of the waste paper basket, the happy resting place of many a vain effort. On tho other hand if you deem my " impressions" worthy of publicity I hope they may have tho effect for good, which, their author intended.