Writers on Hunting 137 



system of hunting. His motto was, " Do the thing 

 handsomely or let it alone," — and so, not being able 

 to afford to have three hundred guineas beneath 

 him, he was contented to see the fun of the fair 

 without evincing the jealousy of the so-called first 

 flight men. His horses were certainly not of the 

 confidential sort. On one occasion he was asked, 

 " How many animals are you master of this season ? " 

 and his reply was, " Not one, but I have four 

 brutes in the stable that are masters of me." With 

 a fine temper, nice hands, and a sympathy between 

 himself and his horse that rarely has been equalled, 

 he never irritated the animal he was riding, but 

 would coax it into seemly behaviour by the use of 

 his tongue. He used to talk to his horses, but one 

 of his own lines can express his feelings better than 

 any words of mine, viz. : "Are you not a horse and 

 a brother ? " Those who knew him will remember 



his favourite expression, " What d d fools men 



are ! " . . . He could even smile indulgently at the 

 transgressions and foibles of people in the hunting 

 field, though on occasions he could be sarcastic, as 

 when a hard funker once jumped a fence about 

 three feet high he wondered what the height would 

 be after dinner. His warmest admirers would not 

 call him a bold rider, and he did not hesitate to 

 express his contempt for reckless horsemen and 

 thrusting scoundrels. Yet few men knew the 

 science of hunting better than he did. His father 

 had been for many seasons Master of the Fife Fox- 

 hounds, and he had been entered to hounds as soon 

 as he was out of the nursery. 



G. F. VnderhilL 



