CHAPTER V 



THE HUNTSMAN 

 ' A huntsman's fame rises and falls with the sport he shows." 



F we take the whole range 

 of servitude, we shall 

 not find any more de- 

 serving of encourage- 

 ment than huntsmen 

 and kennel servants 

 generally. There are 

 none more respectable 

 in their conduct, none 

 more energetic in their 

 calling, none more faith- 

 ful to their employers, 

 and none more obliging to the world at large. 



A huntsman occupies a somewhat middle station in 

 society, veering between equality and servitude. To 

 a certain extent a huntsman must be the companion 

 and confidant of the "Master," a feeling that 

 generally extends itself to the hunting field. Indeed, 

 it is impossible not to feel a more than ordinary 

 interest for men imbued with the same passion, trans- 

 ported by the same pleasures, and daily hazarding 

 life and limb in the furtherance of our enjoyments. 

 Doubly strong it is when the object is connected with 

 our earliest recollections and associations. Beckford, 



39 



