168 England's oldest hunt. 



with Robert, and then ride over the next day to Upsall, 

 attend the servants' ball at Upsall Castle, and hunt on the 

 following day. 



Joe Shaw followed Mr. Ward, and to this veteran 

 is due the very existence of the hunt. Never before or since 

 did a man " tak' hod," as we say in Yorkshire, of a pack 

 with greater difficulties ahead, with a more up-hill fight. 

 Naught but a pure love of the sport and a peculiar local 

 patriotism could have induced anyone to have agreed to 

 build up a pack and endeavour to show sport with the then 

 existing conditions and prospects. I believe he only had 

 two-and-a-half couple of hounds, no money in hand, and at 

 that time no horse fit to ride on to hounds. Yet he was a 

 dalesman, a sturdy, determined, sporting dalesman. He 

 saw, just as clearly as any one ever did see in any walk of 

 life, that he had a call, and that call was to save the Farndale 

 pack from extinction. Some hounds had, I believe, been 

 sold or given away — at any rate, a correspondent who 

 hunted with him, says : — 



" He was the bravest man that ever was. With five hounds and 

 the horn in his pocket he commenced to hunt the pack on foot without 

 any subscription. From somewhere he procured other two hounds, 

 and came to Castleton to run a bag fox with these seven hounds. Could 

 any one fail to admire the sportsman ? Could any sportsman fail to 

 admire, too, his methods ? A quiet man, unostentatious, his turn out 

 was naturally and perforce quite in keeping with his own personality. 

 This bagged fox and his pluck and unfailing assurance were not without 

 avail, for a subscription was set on foot, and from that date the pack 

 and its status has continued to improve." 



Mr. Alexander, Senr., tells me that one hound Joe had, 

 called Ranger, could kill any fox which got up. He was a 

 big, black dog-hound, which came from Bilsdale. The 

 "veteran" added, "Bilsdale men said he was a sheeper, but 

 Farndale were willing to try him. Joe gave him several 

 thrashings and broke him off. Then the Bilsdale men wanted 

 him back again. Cleveland gave them a good hound or two, 

 one particularly good bitch was called Jessamine — I remem- 

 ber her well, because she had a sort of terrier voice." 



From small things then Joe Shaw commenced to rebuild 



