68 HUNTING REMINISCENCES 



to Frank's horror the Empress of Austria was 

 saturated with the contents of the bottle. How- 

 ever, she good-naturedly laughed heartily at the 

 accident, and so did all her suite. On her return 

 to Austria she commissioned Gillard to buy a pack 

 of beagles, the best that money could find. It 

 took a whole summer to execute the commission, 

 and a lawsuit was only just missed with a wild 

 Irishman who insisted on sending a lot of red 

 lurcher terriers. At last twelve couple of twelve- 

 inch beagles were found, bright with Belvoir tan, 

 and smart as new sixpences. Before sending them 

 away they were hunted, and good to follow was 

 their beautiful cry, Frank Gillard, Junr., taking 

 them over, being entertained right royally during 

 a week's stay in Austria. The Empress, delighted 

 with her new purchase, found a good hare for 

 them and started a hunt. Very quickly they out- 

 distanced the field who were on foot, at the finish 

 the Empress being the only one left going, and 

 she threw aside first one garment, then another, 

 until in her enthusiasm to keep them in sight 

 she landed in the middle of a drain. Ponies had 

 to be procured to catch the runaway pack, and 

 they were never used again as foot beagles, being 

 much too fast. 



The opening day of the season was delayed on 

 account of the hard state of the going, and hounds 

 stopped hunting in the middle for thirty-eight days 

 of frost. After the break up, a big day occurred on 

 January 6th from Piper Hole Gorse, a good fox 

 facing the river Smite as bold as a lion. Hounds 



