THE BILSDALE HUNT. 65 



market dined at an ordinary with the farmers at one shilling or eighteen- 

 pence a head — the best joints of meat then never being sold by butchers 

 at more than fourpence a pound, and eggs being retailed in our market 

 at twopence a dozen during the season. As to his worldly wealth, 

 and unblemished character, these were fully admitted by his opponent 

 (though they doubted whether he could be said to keep a pack of hounds, 

 as each of his tenants fed a few of them, and the horn was blown to gather 

 them together when they had to assemble for a hunt). The counsel 

 on behalf of the C. R. declared that a gentleman remained such wherever 

 he dined, could those wishing to hold from him that title to which his 

 client possessed every just claim they ought to have proved, not where 

 he dined and paid, but whether he dined and left without paying, 

 then, guilty of such an act as that, he would have lost all right to have 

 been considered a gentleman, they, his opponents, should have proved 

 not that he went about in leather breeches, but without any at all, 

 then that truly would have stamped his client as no gentleman. 



He won his case, having Mr. Sergeant Law as counsel, 

 Mr. Sergeant Cockle being the barrister on the other side. 



The old man (Bell) was immensely proud, not only of the 

 fact that he could sound the horn so well, but also that it was 

 his hound Charlotte which won the hound trial held years 

 ago at Whitby. It is a silver cup which George always used 

 to bring down with him to the Hunt dinner and gaze on with 

 fond eyes. It still has its place on the table at that annual 

 event, and few of those acquainted with the personnel of 

 the hunt a decade or two ago, can help but cast a retrospect- 

 ive glance and say, " May the sod lie lightly on the departed 

 Nimrod," who so much looked forward each year to the 

 annual feast and re-union. An entry in the old minute book 

 of the Bilsdale Hunt refers to this cup thus : — " 1874. 

 Decided that G. Bell, Chop Yat, shall have the honour of 

 keeping the silver cup — given by Sir H. Johnson, and won 

 (Class 3) at the Whitby Dog Show for best Trencher-fed 

 hound, 2nd September, 1874, for his natural life, but on his 

 death to be held by the master." 



Bell was a great advocate of early morning fixtures, 

 and viewed with disgust the advanced hour of later day hunt- 

 ing meets. There is a good deal of truth, too, in what he argued, 

 regarding turning out with hounds as soon as daylight 

 appeared. Bilsdale sportsmen have always been fond of 



