Moon HIGH WATER rises & London Bridge. sets. morn. aftern. m. h. m. h. m. 0 2 24 2 51 3 14 3 39 h. m. d. h. 1 MCRICKET-Kent agst. England, at r 3 49 15 a9 2 T Oxford Act. Cam. com. [Lord'ss 8 18 16 9 28 3 W Dog Days begin r 3 5117 9 49 4 1 4 22 4T ERITH GRAND REGATTA 5 F GAME CERTIF.exp.-CAM.T.ends r 3 53 19 10 6 SOXFORD T. ends. 29 5 28 5 49 s 8 15 20 10 16 T SOUTHAMPTON RACES. 24 W TEWKESBURY & GLO'STER RACESS 7 57 28 Cighth Sunday after Trinity "AT FAULT;" OR, A SPORTING ADVENTURE WITH (OR RATHER WITHOUT) It is now nearly five-and-twenty years since the anecdote I am about to relate took place at Windsor. I was then a stripling of twenty, and was doing duty with my regiment, the Blues: like the military hero mentioned in one of O'Keefe's excellent farces, I might have sung― "How happy's the soldier that lives on his pay, for out of a very small income I had expended some hundreds in Caml ridge. "Why should they?" responded the other. "Though she's been lying there for more than a week, it would be rather hard to bury her alive." A shout followed this attempted sally of wit, which was followed by others of the same nature. "Holloa, Tom,' said our young Irishman to a middle-aged friend, who, instead of turning out in tops and cords (for in those days, leathers were deemed "rural"), sported a pair of what had been once white duck trowsers, "I hope we may cross the Thames to-day." "Why?" asked the other. "Because," responded the Emeralder, "I think you ought to give your ducks a swim." Whilst laughing at this really ready sally, one of the most popular and sporting noblemen of that day, then holding a place about the court, entered the room; and, after inviting a chosen few to dine at the Equerry's table at the Castle, told us that we must all ride our best to-day, as Nimrod was to be one of the party. I had heard of the mighty "Nimrod, the founder" of the sporting race of writers, and longed to be mentioned in the pages of his Magazine as "a promising young one." To accomplish this, I determined not only to ride my best, but to attach myself to this literary lion, in the hopes that, as they say in the House of Commons, I might be "named." "How is Nimrod mounted?" I exclaimed. "On a flea-bitten grey," responded the noble lord who had given us the information, "a snaffle bridle and a martingale." "Martingale !" thought I-" this must be some new fancy; we shall read his reasons in the next month's Magazine." The hour of meeting had now arrived; after paying our bill, we mounted our horses, and proceeded to a field near the road side, where Davis and his excellent pack of hounds were in attendance. A large field of sportsmen were collected, consisting of officers of the garrison, country squires, a sprinkling of fashion from London, some Metropolitan dealers, and a few Cockney sportsmen. Before the deer was uncarted, which Davis told us would give us a capital run, I looked in vain, for some time, for the far-famed chronicler of the sports. "You have not seen a gentleman on a flea-bitten grey," I inquired of all my friends. No one had seen "the gallant grey.' At last one of my brother officers told me that there was a horse that answered that description standing at the Red Lion, Slough, and that the groom had told him his master was coming from London; upon this intelligence I rode up to the huntsman, and, telling him how important a gentleman was momentarily expected, he kindly gave five minutes' grace. In those "good old days," the master of the buckhounds contented himself with staying at home and receiving the "rint," seldom or ever attending the hunt, and then merely to see the deer uncarted-as has not been the case within the last ten years, when such truly popular sportsmen as the Earls of Erroll, Chesterfield, Rosslyn, and Lord Kinnaird, have occupied the post, and done every justice to it. To resume. No sooner had I gained the huntsman's sanction to a five minutes' law, than I made the best of my way across the fields to Slough. As I reached it, a very gaudy-looking dog-cart drove up to the door of the Red Lion, out of which got a gentleman equipped for the chase. His costume was peculiar: a grass-green cut-away coat, with gilt buttons, upon which were embossed sporting subjects of every description-hunting, racing, shooting, cocking, fishing, coursing, and prize-fighting. His "smalls" were white-not as the driven. snow, but rather whitey-yellow-and were made of leather; they looked as if they had not been "made to measure," but had more of the cut of the Blue-coat School, or a "reach-me-down shop." At the knees-where the buttons had evidently fallen out with the buttonholes, for they could not be prevailed upon to meet upon any termsthere was a display of white ribbons, which would have done credit to any recruiting serjeant's cap in the service. The boots were of the Wellington make, with a pair of brown glazed and highly polished tops drawn over them, displaying a large hiatus, in which the calf of the wearer protruded considerably. A waistcoat of striped marcella completed the costume-with the exception of a hat, of the Joliffe form, tied to the button-hole by a small piece of red tape, and a hunting whip. The horse was a tall, raw-boned animal, one that quite came under the denomination of "a rum one to look at, but a devil to go." The saddle was not of the most fashionable shape, and the saddle-cloth of white, bordered with light blue; surcingle of the same, with a dirty snaffle and worn-out bridle, faced with light-blue satin, gave the whole the appearance of a costermonger's horse at Epping Forest on Easter Monday, or at Tothill-fields during Gooseberry Fair. For some time I could scarcely believe my senses; but, recollecting that "great wits to madness nearly are allied," I attributed the strangeness of the turn-out to the eccentricity of the owner. To be certain as to the party, no sooner had the new-comer mounted his "Rosinante," and coaxed him into a trot, amidst the grins of the gaping clods that stood about the door, than I rode up to the groom, and said, in an off-hand sort of manner-" That's Nimrod, is it not?" "Yes, I believe you," answered the man; "I should like to drink your honour's health, and success to Nimrod, eh, eh, eh!" For the life of me I could neither see the joke, nor understand the reason for the cockney's laughter; I, however, threw him a shilling, and lost no time in gaining upon this mighty hunter, which I accomplished just as he had reached the field, from which the deer had been some ten minutes uncarted. To account for this, I must remark that although I have given a brief and hurried sketch of my proceedings, in order that I may the more quickly arrive at the denouement of my tale, a considerable deal of time had been lost at Slough, after the arrival of the far-famed Nimrod, some portion of that time having been devoted to his giving instructions to his groom, taking care of himself at the bar of the Red Lion, mounting, altering and arranging his stirrups, and, as he said, getting into his seat. I proceed. The gate that opened to the field was at the furthest extrmity of the road, and finding the hounds laid on just as I had got up to my friend, I put my horse at a small fence, and called upon him to follow me. "There's no ditch on this side," I exclaimed, as the hero of the fleabitten grey "craned" most awfully. What could be the cause? thought I to myself. At last an idea came across my mind: the field, as I have already said, was numerous; and as the hounds were now running parallel to the road, and scemed disposed to cross it, I fancied Cambridge." Why should they?" responded the other. "Though she's been lying there for more than a week, it would be rather hard to bury her alive." A shout followed this attempted sally of wit, which was followed by others of the same nature. "Holloa, Tom,' said our young Irishman to a middle-aged friend, who, instead of turning out in tops and cords (for in those days, leathers were deemed "rural"), sported a pair of what had been once white duck trowsers, "I hope we may cross the Thames to-day." "Why?" asked the other. "Because," responded the Emeralder, "I think you ought to give your ducks a swim." Whilst laughing at this really ready sally, one of the most popular and sporting noblemen of that day, then holding a place about the court, entered the room; and, after inviting a chosen few to dine at the Equerry's table at the Castle, told us that we must all ride our best to-day, as Nimrod was to be one of the party. I had heard of the mighty "Nimrod, the founder" of the sporting race of writers, and longed to be mentioned in the pages of his Magazine as "a promising young one." To accomplish this, I determined not only to ride my best, but to attach myself to this literary lion, in the hopes that, as they say in the House of Commons, I might be "named." "How is Nimrod mounted?" I exclaimed. "On a flea-bitten grey," responded the noble lord who had given us the information, "a snaffle bridle and a martingale." "Martingale !" thought I-" this must be some new fancy; we shall read his reasons in the next month's Magazine." The hour of meeting had now arrived; after paying our bill, we mounted our horses, and proceeded to a field near the road side, where Davis and his excellent pack of hounds were in attendance. A large field of sportsmen were collected, consisting of officers of the garrison, country squires, a sprinkling of fashion from London, some Metropolitan dealers, and a few Cockney sportsmen. Before the deer was uncarted, which Davis told us would give us a capital run, I looked in vain, for some time, for the far-famed chronicler of the sports. "You have not seen a gentleman on a flea-bitten grey," I inquired of all my friends. No one had seen "the gallant grey.' At last one of my brother officers told me that there was a horse that answered that description standing at the Red Lion, Slough, and that the groom had told him his master was coming from London; upon this intelligence I rode up to the huntsman, and, telling him how important a gentleman was momentarily expected, he kindly gave five minutes' grace. In those "good old days," the master of the buckhounds contented himself with staying at home and receiving the "rint," seldom or ever attending the hunt, and then merely to see the deer uncarted-as has not been the case within the last ten years, when such truly popular sportsmen as the Earls of Erroll, Chesterfield, Rosslyn, and Lord Kinnaird, have occupied the post, and done every justice to it. To resume. No sooner had I gained the huntsman's sanction to a five minutes' law, than I made the best of my way across the fields to Slough. As I reached it, a very gaudy-looking dog-cart drove up to the door of the Red Lion, out of which got a gentleman equipped for the chase. His costume was peculiar: a grass-green cut-away coat, with gilt buttons, upon which were embossed sporting subjects of |