1833, adopted by Nimrod, and with somewhat similar introductory remarks, the author of the former sketches, after perusing the graphic and amusing papers of Nimrod, ceased to contribute any more articles under that title.

Amongst the papers under the head of "Hunting Countries," sent by Nimrod, is one of the Shropshire country, sketched out for him under the following circumstances, but headed and tailed, as he termed it, by himself, and much improved and added to, and which shows his ready, offhand way of turning things to account :-Nimrod having come over from France for a short-and, at that period, rather dangerous-visit to England, called upon the author of the paper alluded to, and having dined with him, asked his assistance how to get payment for a note of hand for £48, due to him from poor Mytton, then in confinement, and which if he accomplished, he said would enable him to run down to Newmarket, look over the racing studs then in training, and afford him matter for a paper on the race-horses he had seen there, with his opinion thereon. Nimrod also requested his host, during his absence at Newmarket, to sketch him out something as to hunting in Shropshire, similar to the other sketches of hunting countries which had already appeared, he himself, as he stated, being "nearly stumped up" for want of fresh matter, having been abroad so long; and with this assistance he thought he could cover his expenses in coming to England, and returning again to France. This request was accordingly complied with, and, on Nimrod's return from Newmarket, to dine again with the author, previous to his leaving town the same night by the Dover mail for France, the sketch of Shropshire as a hunting country was placed in his hands; and an application having been also, in the meantime, made to Mr. Mytton's solicitor, the amount of the note of hand was remitted, and handed over to Nimrod ; and he afterwards stated that, including the £48 and what he obtained for the sketch of "Shropshire as a Hunting Country," and for the paper on the race-horses at Newmarket, he not only defrayed all expenses, but cleared somewhere about £100-no bad work for five days' spree across the water and back.

Nimrod has frequently told the writer that, when he was first resident in France, and before he had enlarged his acquaintance amongst foreign sportsmen, he was greatly distressed for matter on which to found his contributions to the sporting and other magazines, having used up his old stock, and having no means of acquiring a fresh supply of anecdotes; but the extraordinary power he had of amplifying and turning the slightest subject to good account served him in need, and rendered his writings fresh and lively, though prone too much to the same subject, under different forms and guises.

The following are some of the subjects intended to have been sent, under the head of "Sporting Reminiscences," had they not been cast aside upon the appearance of Nimrod's amusing articles headed with so

similar a designation :

HUNTING ON THE WOLDS.

To those of your readers who may not have had an opportunity of witnessing any of this kind of hunting, the following sketch of what occurred to the writer may perhaps afford them some amusement.

Induced by the hospitable reception I had on a former occasion experienced when staying with a friend in the north of England for the purpose of shooting, I accepted a second invitation to pay him another visit, at his residence near the sea-coast.

I arrived at his house in the beginning of the month of October, and having exchanged my London news for my host's country chit-chat, and partaken of the good things of his plentifully-supplied table, he informed me, just as we were about to separate for the night, that all was in readiness to afford me the best sport the next day it was in his power to offer me, and the nature of the country would permit of, but that he did not possess the same opportunities of doing so there as at another residence not far distant, and which I was much gratified in afterwards visiting. It was proposed we should the next morning have a day's hunting, there being, as my host informed me, thirteen couple of hounds in his kennel, and well adapted for that country. To this proposal I had nothing to gainsay; but when, at early dawn, I looked out to discover the nature of the country, and found the house placed upon the pinnacle of a steep hill, surrounded on every side but one with deep valleys or rather ravines, which nothing but an eagle, in my opinion, could cross, and clothed with wood to the very summits, I began to wonder whereabouts my friend's hunting country lay. In answer to my inquiries, he told me there was a good wold or moor country a short distance off, behind the house. I then went to get a back view of the place, but could perceive nothing but one of the woody glens running up on the left till it appeared to reach the sea, which on that side also entirely shut us in. I was desired, however, not to be alarmed, for I had only "to sit fast and harden my heart," and I should find matters better than I expected when we got out. After breakfast, my friend informed me this was not his best hunting country, and we must make shift as well as we could-an intimation not at all unnecessary, for very soon I perceived his man mounted upon my horse, which in every respect was better and faster than any in his master's stable, and he himself appeared, mounted upon a very nice-looking Galloway of about fourteen hands high, capitally made for any country, and leaving to me the choice of an old broken-winded, but once good hunter, or my own legs. After laughing at what my friend was pleased to call my fastidiousness, because I continued to question the capabilities of the horse ever achieving more than a trot, but in which I was sorely mistaken, he said we had no time to lose I should find the horse as good a horse for that country as could possibly be; and his man having gone on with the hounds, which my host generally hunted himself, and having to pass through much of the surrounding woodland district, we must make haste, for the hounds were sometimes a little impatient, and they might hark away before we got to them. After the above intimation, we trotted away in pursuit of the hounds, my host going cheerily upon his spirited little nag, and I following him upon my coughing and grunting, broken-winded steed, but who from time to time evinced a degree of daring intentions that ill accorded with his failure in breathing. However, on we proceeded; but, alas! my friend's supposition was quite right, for we soon heard the hounds running at full cry. Clapping spurs to his horse, and telling me to follow him, he dashed down a narrow and nearly perpendicular path

leading direct for the bottom of the deep valley, along which a brook ran, amidst caverns and holes large enough, apparently, to swallow up a firstrate man-of-war. It was in vain my calling out to know, in the name of fortune, where he was going to, for in a few moments, like some wood demon, horse and rider suddenly disappeared, and then again were seen at a distance, and as speedily lost sight of amidst the dark foliage which clothed the ravine. Astonished at the career my friend was pursuing, and resolving within myself nothing should tempt me to follow the pleasures of the chase in that way, lest I should be dashed to pieces, what was my surprise when I found my obstinate brute of a horse, up tail and head, snorting and coughing alternately, and capering about like a posture-master, with every symptom of inward gratification and exultation, till off he dashed the shortest way to the same place of entrance, down the path, as careless of his own life as of mine. If I recollect rightly, the brute rejoiced in the name of Ruler, and assuredly my destiny was in his power, for, like the schoolmaster abroad, he seemed to have a universal knowledge of the way in which I was to be taught my first lesson in hunting in this strange country; and I was compelled to give myself up to his instructions, for I soon found nothing could stop him but the strong hand of death-its very self more frightened than any beldame, in the worst of storms, cleaving the air upon a broomstick. I heard a holloo above me, some half-mile off on the opposite side of the valley, where I perceived my friend just emerging from the wood, and shouting out to me-"Let him go! let him have his own way, don't hold him in !" Insult to injury, thought I: Heaven knows there's no necessity for that advice, for I found neither man nor devil could guide the horse I was on, and who had already taken me over and through such places that nothing but a Will-o'-the-Wisp would have attempted, and hardly that, in its sane state. At last I arrived, by some most especial miracle, safe on the farther side; and having in some degree recovered myself from my demon-like ride, I asked my friend whereabouts the hounds might then be. He told me they had divided, and some had gone up the glen, but the chief body of the pack were below us, where, upon listening, we heard them coming towards us in full cry: the deep woody vale echoing note after note, as it came floating along the bottom of the wood, and resounding from point to point, produced a melody hardly to be surpassed. The animation of the hunt, and the romantic scenery around, and the appearance of numerous herons and large glead hawks scared away from their wild retreats, afforded so many interesting subjects of observation, that I began to feel recompensed for the dangers I had so unintentionally encountered. While lost in admiring the beauty of the scenery around, my friend suddenly gave another halloo, and again went off down the glen, leaving me and my horse, as I thought, to continue our contemplation as long as we pleased. But therein I again discovered my mistake: this was no joint idea, for no sooner was the other horse once more out of sight, than off started my atrocious animal in pursuit, and, after struggling for some time to keep him in the best path I could, but which appeared to lead to another world, at length we both came to a clear understanding upon one point, namely, that we could go no farther, for, having reached the end of the valley, the sea stood ready to receive us. After much difficulty and scrambling up a ladder-like foot

path, of nearly a mile in length, paved with large pieces of rock and stone, and here and there the trunk of an old tree, which served the few passengers who came that way as a stepping place, and compelled the horse to take sudden springs or jumps, like the motions of a kangaroo, we got out of this hunting country at last; and I found myself just one field from whence, three hours before, I had first started. Hitherto I had only heard, but seen little or nothing of the hounds, beyond now and then an occasional hound straggling by in pursuit of the others. The first thing which now drew my attention was the sound of my friend's horn, getting the hounds together, which at length he partially effected; and never was I more surprised than at the appearance they presented. There were not any two hounds alike in size, shape, or colour, but apparently one of every kind, from his grace of Cleveland's largest foxhound to the little wire-haired beagle of the Sussex wolds, not six inches in height. At the sight of such a pack, I could not help exclaiming-" And are those the hounds we have been riding this devil's chase after all day? What, in the name of wonder, have we been hunting-a tiger?" No," said my friend, "it was a sweet-mart" (a marten-cat). And no doubt he was perfectly right, for nothing but a mountain-cat or a witch would have ventured over such a country as that which we had gone; and highly delighted was I when I found our sport had terminated.

66

I was, some time afterwards, prevailed upon to accompany my friend's hounds; but these things were done in a different form. We proceeded to an upland and hilly country without many fences, but now and then intersected with deep gulleys, imperceptible until you were close to them, and then often so covered over with bushes as not to be apparent, but looking like a low, rough, wide hedge. The hounds were running well across a flat part of the land, between two hills, and my friend was some distance before me, riding hard to the hounds, when, meeting with a smart-looking fence, he immediately took it; but, upon my coming up, I could see nothing of his horse.

"Ride at it," said he ; 66 never fear."

"Where is your horse?" said I.

"Come along; you'll see when you are over," he replied.

I then rode at the fence, but at a very different and more practicable place than that at which my friend had ridden; and when I got over, after looking about under the bushes, we found his horse standing at the bottom of one of these concealed gulleys, at least fifteen feet below us, and out of which it was impossible to get the horse, without going along the bottom to the very end of the ravine for several hundred yards, which at length was done, and no injury sustained by the horse or rider. I then asked my friend what could have induced him to urge him to ride at such a dangerous fence.

"Oh, no danger," said he ; "I got over safe, and I know your horse must have come into it; and then I thought they would keep each other quiet while you and I went on, on foot."

My friend was one day left behind, as the best hunter must be sometimes, and, just as we had killed our fox, he came up and affected to wonder where I had been during the run, and inquired

"Why did not you come with me? I have had a capital run, and kept the lead all the way."

I told him I had never been away from the hounds, and rather thought

I had seen his horse at his old tricks again down in a ditch.

I had to lead him a long way to

get out, and hard running too."

To be continued.

ON THE DEATH OF GRIMALDI, THE CELEBRATED STEEPLE-CHASER*.

;

Weep, all ye sportsmen, lovers of the chase;
Let a tear trickle down each hunter's face:
Grimaldi's dead! We ne'er shall see again
His like to scour along the grassy plain.
He died, poor fellow! like a warrior brave,
Who in the front of battle seeks his
grave.
He died, as he had lived, in glorious fame;
And sportsmen ever must revere his name.
"Game to the last," most gallantly he won
That race by which his glass of life was run,
And down he dropp'd, no more to glad our eyes;
But ne'er gave in till he had won the prize.
Look at his shape, in beauteous fashion clad
Where was th' unhandsome point Grimaldi had?
Splendidly made in symmetry's best form,
He fled as swift as Boreas in the storm.
No hedge or ditch, how deep or how immense,
Stopp'd his career, he'd clear the largest fence;
And bounded from the earth, so full of pride,
That Becher found great pleasure in the ride.
His name stands foremost in the Steeple-chase,
And man and horse are both renowned for grace.
What pleasure ran through every eager heart
Who saw him mounted, and who saw him start!
But mark the change: what sympathy and woe
Smote every breast that saw him next laid low!
On the damp earth he breath'd his farewell sigh,
And pleasure fled from every gazing eye
To see the prince of Steeple-chasing blood
Depart from life, no more to grace the stud.
Grimaldi, thou hast had some splendid backers:
Alas, that they resigned thee to the knackers!

*Now that it has become fashionable to kill a horse or two weekly during the Steeple-chase season, we give the above, written on the sacrifice of one of the most worthy of his unhappy race.