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BIOGRAPHIES IN A NUTSHELL 99 



ship of Hounds before he undertook to hunt the 

 whole of Warwickshire, during which period the fame 

 of his pack was mainly due to one hound, namely 

 the celebrated Trojan. I only mention Trojan be- 

 cause the blood of Trojan is probably more famous 

 than that of any other hound. Indeed, in some 

 records which I have come across the Warwickshire 

 hounds are alluded to as " The Trojans," and Mr. 

 i" Corbet was often called "The Father of the Trojans." 



He hunted the whole of Warwickshire, including the i^Sl^^' ^-^ 

 Dunchurch and Atherstone countries, without any sub- jv ^^ .^, 

 scription, excepting five pounds a year from each of the 

 members for earth-stopping, and as a rule his kennels 

 contained seventy couples of hounds. As a rider he 

 would never jump, if he could help it, though he 

 would gallop as hard as he could along rough lanes 

 and stony roads. This habit did not spring from 

 lack of nerve, for probably it takes more nerve to 

 gallop down a rough lane than to negotiate a bull- 

 finch. Certainly he had many nasty croppers. On 

 one occasion he jumped a gate because he was un- 

 able to stop his horse. " I have done more than I 

 meant to do," he quietly remarked at the finish. His 

 civility in the field was a proverb. If a man were 

 seen in the midst of hounds, he would merely call 

 out, " Pray, sir, hold hard ; you will spoil your own 

 sport." When hounds were settled on their fox, he 

 would shout, " Now, gentlemen, ride over them ; now 

 ride, and catch them if you can." 



Very different, however, was his huntsman, Will 



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