WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 279 



must have a mine of gold at his command to support such a 

 system." 



" Doubtless," I replied, "vast sums have been expended from 

 time to time in bringing the fox-hound to his present perfection ; 

 but as a general rule, men even of moderate means, provided 

 they keep off the Turf and do not gamble, are rarely brought to 

 ruin by keeping hounds ; on the contrary, the office of M.F.H. 

 is often considered the best safety-valve for a young man on 

 succeeding to his property, as, being at least an innocent and 

 manly occupation, its tendency is to divert him from less enjoyable 

 and more hurtful pursuits." 



St. Prix's observation, which I chronicled at the time, respect- 

 ing the cardinal points required in a hound's work namely, that 

 he should be quick to hit, a hard driver, and never fail to throw 

 his tongue on making a hit left an impression on my mind that 

 if it had fallen to his lot to handle a pack of fox instead of a 

 pack of wolf-hounds, he would have earned a distinction in the 

 craft equal to that of Mr. Tom Smith or Anstruther Thomson, 

 and, like the latter, would have taken to " Welsh blood," or any 

 blood, no matter how unfashionable, that possessed in a superior 

 degree the above requirements. 



On the following day, after St. Prix's departure for Morlaix, 

 our horses having been already sent forwards, a voiture, drawn 

 by a pair of dun cobs, the property of a M. Dinguff, conveyed 

 Keryfan, Shafto, and myself with great comfort to Gourin the 

 distance being just five leagues, and the charge for conveyance, 

 including the coachman, only eight francs. Our destination 

 being the Hermitage, still some four leagues farther access to 

 which had never yet been attempted by a carriage slung upon 

 springs ourselves and baggage were now consigned to some 

 rough ponies, which a friendly charcoal-burner for a few francs 

 had placed at Shafto's disposal. Unkempt and grimy to the last 

 degree were these poor ill-conditioned beasts ; and when Keryfan's 



