Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/92

 from Leicester, and arrayed in the hunting gear for which that Nimrod county is justly famed, that I mounted my dog-cart, and drove from our encampment, situated in a beautiful, romantic, little plain, in the neighbourhood of Ballaarat. My own gear, though not so stunning as my lively companion's, was perhaps more appropriate: a comfortable beaver, of an antique wear and character, and well strapped under my chin, formed my head-dress; a Crimson neck-tie, to give me some appearance of a Meltonian, and a green shooting-jacket; with patent leather overall boots, the common under-dress of the Australian, and which almost hid out the leather breeches, made me equal to face any forest, bank, bush, or scaur, so constantly met with in the chase.

A drive of about fourteen miles in the cool of the morning sharpened our appetites to enjoy to the full extent the luxurious and magnificent repast prepared for us and some twenty more at the hospitable home of Mr. Penrose, one of the largest and wealthiest proprietors of stations in Victoria, and one of the few houses where a style equal, if not superior, to an English country-house is always kept up. Having done every justice to the viands before us, we adjourned to the lawn before his door, where the hounds and horses were awaiting our appearance; and though neither men, horses, nor dogs,bore much resemblance to a meet in Leicester, or the Queen's hounds at Windsor, yet the heroes of