THE WHIPPER-IN 71 



chased, until interrupted by our friend again cutting 

 round, full grin, at the gate, and repeating the same 

 farce over again. We have seen non-riding Hunts- 

 men do not amiss, but a non-riding Whip will never 

 do. Indeed, we know a gentleman, an ex-Master of 

 Hounds, who says that " riding in a Huntsman " and 

 "being a good shot in a Gamekeeper" are of the 

 least consequence. If the keeper can hit a hawk 

 sitting, he says it is enough for him, and that 

 "brains, a cool judgment, a good temper, and a 

 good constitution " are the indispensable ingredients 

 for a Huntsman. Riding, he adds, is his least 

 recommendation. 



But to the Whip again. Here is Mr. Beckford's 

 opinion of what a Whipper-in ought to be : 



"With regard to the Whipper-in," writes he, "as 

 you keep two of them (and no pack of fox hounds is 

 complete without) the first may be considered as a 

 second Huntsman, and should have nearly the same 

 qualities. It is necessary besides, that he should be 

 attentive and obedient to the Huntsman ; and as his 

 horse will probably have most to do, the lighter he is 

 the better; though, if he be a good horseman, the 

 objection of his weight will be sufficiently over- 

 balanced. He must not be conceited. I had one 

 formerly, who, instead of stopping hounds as he 

 ought, would try to kill a fox by himself. This fault 

 is unpardonable; he should always maintain to the 

 Huntsman's holloo, and stop such hounds as divide 

 from it. When stopped, he should get forward with 

 them after the Huntsman." 



It is ludicrous, but lamentable to sport, to wit- 

 ness a contest between a Huntsman and Whip 

 for supremacy. We remember travelling through 

 Leicestershire some years ago, when the guard and 

 coachman of the mail got to loggerheads on that 

 point, and it ended in the stoppage of the vehicle 

 until the passengers interfered. The coachman found 



