Sporting notions of present days and past

362 SPORTING NOTIONS
vals when he, comparatively, talks English,
"Englishwomen" (and men) "afraid of the
weather might as well be shut up."
There is anyhow almost an even chance of
the weather's improving as you go on ; and at
worst, so long as you can keep going till you
are landed at your stable, no amount of wetting
ought to hurt you ; and, while we are on the
subject, ought not the Faculty, who in some cases
do such wonderful things for invalids, to manage
something in the interests of the able-bodied ?
According to my notions a great big "'a fortiori"
ought
to come in at the end of any good open-
air cure story. If the weak and vulnerable, by
reason of their weakness, can be brought into
better case through sleeping practically in the
open, and so long as they are not unduly exposed
to stuffiness and heat are able to defy cold-catch-
ing or catch-colding conditions, what about
the robust ? Will not the medicos relieve them
of one of the greatest troubles in life, having to
cosset themselves up and cart a big burden of
clothing wherever they go? This is a slight
digression from country life and walking reminis-
cences, perhaps. If you please, I admit all that,
but readers have asked me to go into the
land-voyaging line of business, and if you are
not free to go as you like off the hard, high road
by bridle-path or footpath, occupation road, green.
lane, roundabout, and short cut, or even do a
stroke of trespassing, where does the pleasure
of going-as-you-please come in? A big subject,
a. very big subject indeed, this fresh-air cure is,
worth far more serious consideration than I
am equal to giving it. For purposes of these
Notions the bearings to be made most useful to