156 England's oldest hunt. 



now extinct. After killing four hares and running a fifth 

 for an hour-and-a-half, eventually losing her : 



" An adjournment was then made to the Board Inn, where Mr. 

 and Mrs. Carr provided hare soup and other appetising viands, 

 together with a hearty welcome to all who would partake of their 

 hospitality. Over a hundred and fifty availed themselves of Mr. Carr's 

 invitations, and all were loud in their praise of the esteemed landlord 

 and his good lady for the excellence of their entertainment. After 

 the cloth had been removed, and a steaming jorum of a certain de- 

 coction (the recipe for which is held by Mr. ' Scutt ') had been placed 

 before the guests, the company resolved itself into a social gathering." 



It is difficult to enter into details regarding Duck's era 

 of mastership, or control — whichever term one may care to 

 employ. I have already regretted the absence of any manu- 

 script or diary to help me to elucidate the history of the pack 

 at this period. Amongst other letters received, the following 

 communication from a descendant of the deceased huntsman : 



" I am very sorry to inform you I cannot get you anything about 

 the Farndale Hunt or old Duck which will help you. We have no 

 dates about anything. — I remain, yours truly, J. Waind." 



I do not suppose they would have any formal meetings. 

 There was no expense. The pack was kept by farmers, 

 there were no hunt servants, each man who kept a hound 

 came out himself and had the privilege — not even yet 

 entirely lacking — of assisting in the hunting of the pack, 

 and especially of encouraging and urging or " cheering " 

 on his own hound. Joe did not wear scarlet, so there were 

 no clothes to buy, he received no remuneration, so there 

 were no wages to pay, the hunt received no communications, 

 so had no secretary to answer them. Thus it will be seen the 

 raison d'etre for the holding of meetings was wanting, 

 and if any were held, no record has been preserved. 

 Legend has in her sparingness handed down to us little of 

 the quaint, still less of fact, and it was with some difficulty 

 I succeeded in procuring the account of the most wonderful 

 run which the Farndale Hounds had during the period that 

 Joe was hunting them. It was in his early connection with 

 the pack that on a February morning a fox was risen in 

 Wass Gill, to which reference has already been made. He 



