MR. ROBERT LESLEY. 239 



would not be very dignified, nor in accordance with the 

 later day science of venery in which quietude plays so 

 prominent a part. Said the late Squire of Upsall : — 



Having established the Roxby pack, every pursuer went on foot, 

 with a stake in his hand resembling the modern alpenstock, except 

 huntsmen and whippers-in, who were mounted on the shaggy galloways 

 of the district. These ponies were as sure-footed as goats, and jumped 

 with the same elasticity. In the old leases or agreements of the Turton 

 family (the owners of Roxby) the following clause was inserted : — 

 " Each tenant was to keep one dog, or puppy foxhound, free of cost." 

 The favourite name amongst the Roxby Hounds was Climbank, and 

 bearing in mind that each hound was trencher-fed and each farmer 

 reared and nurtured and named their own hounds, it arose that there 

 were half-a-dozen " Climbanks " among the pack, and as each owner 

 had the power to hound on his own hound, " the hark to Climbank ! " 

 became confusing. The difficulty was, however, overcome by dis- 

 tinguishing each hound by his own colour, so they had " Blue Clim- 

 bank," " Pied Climbank." 



This, together with the article quoted from " Baily," of 

 1872, regarding the Sinnington as a trencher pack, gives a 

 fairly accurate picture of the modus operandi during its 

 primitive stages. Mr. Swan's advent put an end to the 

 last of these stages. Up till then the Sinnington had shown 

 first-class sport, were known as a " killing pack," had plenty 

 of hard and straight men behind them, too, but they were 

 spoken of as " an old-fashioned sporting little pack." To 

 many, it must be admitted, the old-worldism heretofore 

 surrounding the hunt lent a fascination. Yet no one will deny 

 that from the day the Sinnington went into kennel, there 

 commenced not only an evolution, but an improvement, 

 the credit for the initiation of which must be given to Mr. 

 Clayton Swan, in connection with whom, by-the-way, a 

 good story is told. The ex-M.F.H. of the Sinnington is a 

 rich man, and on hearing a story as to Mr. Swan's income, 

 Bob Dawson said, " Ah lay he'll be hard matched to knaw 

 what ta deea wi't." Some one suggested that the upkeep 

 of hounds, stables, and the household would be no insignificant 

 item. Now with the Bilsdale Hounds at no time has the 

 expense been great, whilst in Robert's period every one 

 practically gave his services, and many considered it a duty, 



