George Carter, Huntsman. i r 



a fine man, but rather lame; he was uttering^ 

 great lamentations, and, mopping his forehead, 

 said ruefully : — - 



" You will kill half my deer!" 



George and the keeper were great friends, so- 

 he replied : 



" My dear fellow, I can't help it, I have hounds 

 out to-day which will run anything from an earwig 

 to an elephant ! ! ! " 



Mr. Clarke was a superior man in his position, 

 and had been in the forest for many years. The 

 keepers had a pack of bloodhounds with which 

 to hunt the deer out of the enclosed coppices ; 

 at times the deer would leave the forest and run 

 over the country. 



Knowing I was fond of hunting, Clarke told 

 me that, when he first came to the forest, there 

 were marten cats in it, and that the greatest 

 treat I could have with a pack of hounds would 

 be to hear them running a marten cat ; the note 

 changed, and the music was delightful ; they 

 ran the thickets for a time, then went up a tree, 

 and no scent was so welcome to a hound as that 

 of a marten cat. Being great poachers, they 

 were exterminated. Clarke said : " Our foxes 

 are stout;" and added that ''In the old days the 

 hounds went to Euston, the Duke of Grafton's 



