After one meet, at Sagamore Hill, I had the curiosity to go on foot over
the course we had taken, measuring the jumps; for it is very difficult
to form a good estimate of a fence's height when in the field, and five
feet of timber seems a much easier thing to take when sitting around the
fire after dinner than it does when actually faced while the hounds are
running. On the particular hunt in question we ran about ten miles, at
a rattling pace, with only two checks, crossing somewhat more than sixty
fences, most of them post-and-rails, stiff as steel, the others being of
the kind called "Virginia" or snake, and not more than ten or a dozen in
the whole lot under four feet in height. The highest measured five feet
and half an inch, two others were four feet eleven, and nearly a third
of the number averaged about four and a half. There were also several
rather awkward doubles. When the hounds were cast off some forty riders
were present, but the first fence was a savage one, and stopped all who
did not mean genuine hard going.
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