40 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



Mark Rolle in Devonshire, he was sent to Sir 

 Watkin Winn's kennel to bring away a draft of 

 twenty-six couples. " Are the hounds ready, sir ? " 

 asked young Frank of old John Walker on his 

 arrival, quite expecting that he would start the 

 homeward journey by the next train. " No, they 

 are not, young man, and won't be for another week, 

 you go and help my whips in the kennel ! " During 

 his stay he learnt much from the old huntsman 

 which was very useful to him in after-life, for John 

 Walker was hard to beat at his calling. But to 

 get back to our day's hunting and its misfortunes 

 from which we have somewhat digressed : Will 

 Goodall, the first whip, got his horse so fast in a 

 ditch near Jericho Wood that he had to be dragged 

 out by a farm team, and the second whip's horse 

 was so dead beat that he had to be left the night at 

 Foston. No one was left to help Frank home with 

 the hounds at night except Cooper, the ex-hunts- 

 man, who was out on a pony. 



The best day of the season was February 15th, 

 from Croxton Park, and a capital scent enabled 

 hounds to race a fox to the left of Wymondham 

 past Woodwell Head, straight through Gunby 

 Gorse to Morcary Wood on Cottesmore domains. 

 A few fields from the Great North Road hounds 

 were close to their fox, and it looked fifty to one 

 on a kill. So sure was Mr. Henry Custance, the 

 famous jockey, blazing along on his favourite horse 

 Doctor, that he said to Gillard, " Give me the 

 brush, will you ? " " Oh, dear, I wish you had not 

 asked me," replied Frank, " for now we shall not 



