STABLE MANAGEMENT 253 



Davis might almost be said to have been his own 

 master. To many of my readers now, his figure 

 must be a famiHar one on the magic-lantern slides of 

 memory, while not a few of his doctrines are proverbs 

 with the present generation of huntsmen. Thus his 

 favourite doctrine in regard to hounds was, " Speak 

 not harshly, but kindly, and even your countenance 

 must bear the impress of friendship." 



I hope that I shall be excused, if for the moment 

 I break off the thread of my argument in order to 

 narrate how Charles Davis became a huntsman. On 

 returning home one day from school he went into 

 the cloisters at Windsor Castle, where he was met 

 by the king. He was a slim, good-looking lad, and 

 George the Third immediately took a fancy to him, 

 and asked him what he was going to do, not dream- 

 ing that he was talking to his huntsman's son. The 

 boy answered that he should like to hunt, and was 

 forthwith made whipper-in to his father, and con- 

 tinued in the royal service until he had reached his 

 seventy-eighth year. According to a short bio- 

 graphical notice of him which appeared in the 

 February number of Baily's Magazine, 1867, "he 

 was very tall and thin, probably six feet one inch in 

 height, and only weighing nine stone and a pound or 

 two. He was a good-looking man, with large hand- 

 some nose, and good, dark eyes and eyebrows. The 

 expression of his face was severe and serious, latterly 

 with many lines about the mouth, unless when 

 excited by conversation on his favourite topics." I 



