Punch (72.1877)

26

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[January 27, 1877.

BEFORE THE MEET.

1 v\ ^ \\ \v \^ vl . v W\ . r_ -\ ,

Boot and saddle for the Session, in both stables, kennels twain,
Ministerial, Opposition, lo ! the hunt is up again !
Look alive ! whips in both liveries, trot out both fields once more,
'Tis the old Meet at the Cross-roads, and the old fun to the fore.

Come, swells of the first flight, who take whate'er comes in your
stride,

For whom no bar stands up too stiff—no yawner gapes too wide;
Come, skirters, and come gaters, come cocktails, one and all,
Who love to talk about the sport and never ride at all!

And you, my hardy huntsmen, keen rivals in the field,

And wiry whips on both sides, well trained the thong to wield;

To rate when rating's useful, to wind the timely blast,

To lay the hounds upon their fox, to lift them at a cast.

To work the pack when scent is hot, and cheer them when 'tis cold;
To trust old hounds, who know the time to give tongue and to hold :
To rate praters, and check babblers, and head strayers back to
bounds—

Ah! only one who has whipped knows what 'tis to whip to hounds !

For you, my M. F. H.'s, well may care cloud either front;
Life is not all beer and skittles for him who leads a hunt:
All the more, when in the Treasury-pack they 're losing the old
strain;

And in the Opposition they've got riot on the brain.

At the first meet of the season there '11 be whispering fast and free ;

In the Ministerial Muster we 're to see what we shall see.

A new M. F. H. will be up, in place of brave old Ben,

Who is laid up in lavender, and will ne'er hunt hounds again!

Ere you throw hounds into cover, at its side convene the field,
To present the testimonial here from Punch''s brush revealed,—
This portrait of your master—now ex-master—scarce so strong,
By the new name, as the old one that has heldjits own so long.

See him mounted on the old dark horse he rode when still a boy,
The woudrous steed on which he took the rasper of Alroy:
The dark horse on whose back he floored the flats as Vivian Grey,
The dark horse Asian-Mystery, out of Chouse by Chaff, they
say.