SPORT IN THE SIXTIES 19 



huntsman to Mr. Chaworth Musters, he was so 

 pleased that he had it copied for his own use, and 

 when I left his service presented me with the same 

 pattern in silver." 



Just as the old war-horse instinctively cocks his 

 ears at the sound of the bugle, so had Frank 

 Gillard roused the memories of the past as he 

 clutched his old hunting-horn, for scenes and faces 

 crowding before him. " Hey ! they were fine old 

 sportsmen in those days, and seemed to enjoy their 

 sport more than they do now ! Though possibly 

 memories of fox-hunting resemble port, in that 

 they improve by keeping. Ways of living and 

 thought have altered as time goes on, but they 

 were good old days, nevertheless ! What sport we 

 did have ; to be sure it was all fox-hunting then, no 

 one ever thought about preserving game ! When 

 I was whipper-in to the Belvoir it was my duty to 

 go the round of the coverts in the spring-time to 

 look up the number of litters and get to know 

 the earths, for fox -keepers were few and far 

 between. The large tract of woodland from 

 Aslackby to Grimsthorpe swarmed with foxes, and 

 I used to hack over to these woods, spending two 

 or three days hunting through them. I remember 

 after one of these visits I rode on to Bulby Hall, 

 to report to Colonel John Reeve, who lived there, 

 and he asked me in to have ' a refresher,' as I had 

 more than twenty miles to ride back to Belvoir 

 kennels. He loved playing a practical joke, and 

 when I said, * I must be starting homewards,' he 

 replied, ' Oh, you cannot possibly go to Belvoir to- 



