not comfortable
in the Runnymede country. The Major with much pluck had carried on
his operations in opposition to the wishes of the resident members of
the hunt. The owners of coverts had protested, and farmers had sworn
that he should not ride over their lands. There had even been some
talk among the younger men of thrashing him if he persevered. But he
did persevere, and had managed to have one or two good runs. Now it
was the fortune of the Runnymede hunt that many of those who rode
with the hounds were strangers to the country,--men who came down by
train from London, gentlemen of perhaps no great distinction, who
could ride hard, but as to whom it was thought that as they did not
provide the land to ride over, or the fences to be destroyed, or the
coverts for the foxes, or the greater part of the subscription, they
ought not to oppose those by whom all these things were supplied. But
the Major, knowing where his strength lay, had managed to get a party
to support him. The contract to hunt the country had been made with
him in last March, and was good for one year. Having the kennels and
the hounds under his command he did hunt the country; but he did so
amidst a storm of contumely and ill will.

At last it was decided that a general meeting of the members of the
hunt should be called together with the express object of getting rid
of the Major. The gentlemen of the neighbourhood felt that the Major
was not to be borne, and the farmers were very much stronger against
him than the gentlemen. It had now become a settled belief among
sporting men in England that the Major had with his own hands driven
the nail into the horse's foot. Was it to be endured that the
Runnymede farmers should ride to hounds under a Master who had been
guilty of such an iniquity as that? "The Staines and Egham Gazette,"
which had always supported the Runnymede hunt, declared in very plain
terms that all who rode with the Major were enjoying their sport out
of the plunder which had been extracted from Lord Silverbridge. Then
a meeting was called for Saturday, the 18th December, to be held at
that well-known sporting little inn The Bobtailed Fox. The members of
the hunt were earnestly called upon to attend. It was,--so said the
printed document which was issued,--the only means by which the hunt
could be preserved. If gentlemen who were interested did not put
their shoulders to the wheel, the Runnymede hunt must be regarded
as a thing of the