CHAPTER II. 

 MASTERS OF HOUNDS 



WHEN Juvenal wrote the famous hexameter, 

 " Obiter aut leget, aut scribet, vel dormiet 

 intus" he little thought how applicable his dictum 

 would be to future writers who make sport their 

 theme. But Juvenal was an author, who dipped his 

 pen in bitter ink, and wiped it on sandpaper, corroded 

 with satirical prussic acid. In this and the two 

 following chapters, it is my object to write about 

 Masters of Hounds, so that I cannot give offence 

 either to them, their relatives, or descendants. I 

 make this preface because it is within my knowledge 

 that biographies of hunting men have been published 

 which have caused annoyance. My ambition is that 

 there should be no word in this volume which could 

 cause annoyance, and I believe that I have attained 

 my ambition without sacrificing the truth. My 

 difficulty is to abridge the vast amount of informa- 

 tion, which the kindness of hunting friends has 

 placed in my possession. My sins of omission 

 must be many, but I hope that my sins of com- 

 mission will be few in the criticism of my readers. 

 It has always been my motive during a career in the 



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