SPORT AND SLAUGHTER 257 



others; while on foot appeared Farmers Hardy, 

 Turnbull, and Cowfold, Mr. Lookout, and Mr. Stop- 

 gap ; also huntsmen and hounds, and a number of 

 children who ought to be at school, but are playing 

 truant to " see the hounds." A lively conversation 

 follows, and the arguments for and against are 

 fairly heard. The views of the parson, Mr. De 

 Bracy, are clearly the views of the writer himself. 

 A quotation or two will suffice to show what the 

 nature of those views was. Mr. Smash interposes 

 with the question for the parson, "Then you have 

 not a very high opinion of hunting ? " 



"Mr. De Bracy. If my own opinion stood alone, it 

 would not matter what I thought about it, but a very 

 large and increasing number of educated persons 

 of all ranks think in the same way on the subject. 



"Mr. Smash. They think it a paltry pursuit, do 

 they? 



" Mr. De Bracy. No doubt ; very many persons do. 



" Mr. Smash. As how ? 



"Mr. De Bracy. As how! Why, that fifty men, 

 with fifty horses and fifty dogs, should go scouring 

 over the country, breaking fences, injuring growing 

 crops and what not, and all in pursuit of a frightened 

 little animal of less than three feet long which runs 

 off for the bare life as soon as it hears the cry of 

 the hounds, and is not only of no use when dead, 

 but has been artificially preserved at an enormous 

 waste of good money, and still more valuable time, 

 to do much mischief for this so-called sport ! It 

 would be just as consistent for you to import wolves 



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