EVOLUTION OF THE PACK. 119 



Next season, it is a pleasing sequence to the story to know, 

 they each had a good pink coat. A propos of scarlet coats. 

 I may mention that Nicholas was married in scarlet at 

 Faceby Church. During his last season, Mr. R. Garbutt 

 joined Nicholas, and then Spink left Bilsdale, and was 

 employed at Potto by Mr. F. Wilson Horsfall, as farm 

 manager, and Mr. Horsfall became huntsman of the pack. 

 He only carried them on one season, however. Nicholas 

 did not do much hunting after he went into Cleveland. In 

 two or three years he took a small farm of his own, occasion- 

 ally donning a scarlet coat. He was almost the last of the 

 old school of Bilsdale sportsmen, and not till August 29, 1905, 

 did death o'ertake him. He had a stroke some time pre- 

 viously, and had long been ailing. During the time of his 

 confinement to his bed his talk was of foxes, as was that of 

 his contemporary Dawson. On the day before his death he 

 became delirious, and was heard to say, " Fassen 'em up, 

 it's ta neea ewse, Ah can't hunt 'em ti-daay." The last 

 occasion upon which he saw hounds was at the end of the 

 season 1904-1905, when, nearly blind, decrepit with age, 

 slow of step he walked to Swainby to a fixture of the Bilsdale, 

 and stood bare-headed by the pack. It was a touching 

 picture, for he recognised : — 



I shall hear the who-whoop ! some day 



And I must be in at the death ; 



Once more, " tally-ho ! " with my feeble breath, 



And I shall be " gone away ! " 

 I followed his remains to the old churchyard at Swainby 

 on their next and last journey. Here amid the grey ruins 

 of Whorlton Church, with the Castle Keep near at hand, 

 with the hills o'er which he galloped so often, and saw such 

 wonderful sport, within almost a stone's throw, Nicholas lay 

 down to rest after an active life. And as we gazed upon 

 that coffin we felt it contained the remains of almost the 

 last of his genus. 



Just as this volume is going to press, Sir Reginald Graham, 

 Bart., has sent me his " Hunting Recollections," in which I 

 find the following story apropos of Nicholas Spink : — 



" The boundary was hereabouts (Cotcliffe) joined by the Bilsdale, 



