THE MYOPIA 



going out with one or two slow-running hounds which drive the fox before 

 them at a leisurely pace, while the hunter stands at some chosen spot and 

 shoots the quarry as he goes by. The spectacle of a number of mounted 

 men dressed in scarlet coats, following a pack of hounds which are running 

 on an artificial trail, and going out of their way to jump fences, is a source of 

 derision and of annoyance to them. 



Riding to hounds was practically unknown in New England when Mr. 

 Seabury first took the Myopia ; and it was in a great degree through his 

 friendliness with and unending courtesy to the farmers that the sport has 

 been carried on at all in New England. The three hunts of eastern 

 Massachusetts, the Myopia, the Norfolk and the Middlesex, owe a great 

 debt to Mr. Seabury for this — perhaps more than the younger members 

 realize. 



In 1 883, the first draft of hounds came from England from the Warwick- 

 shire, which was then under the Mastership of the late Lord Willoughby 

 de Broke, and with this as a basis, Mr. Seabury managed to breed a very 

 fair pack. In 1 889, another draft came over from England, sent by Mr. 

 George H. Warren, again from the Warwickshire. From 1 882 to 1 889 Mr. 

 Seabury used his foxhounds purely to hunt foxes ; using the beagles for the 

 drag-hunting. He hunted the hounds himself, with John Crosby as first and 

 William Crosby as second whipper-in, and one of the authors well remem- 

 bers going, as a small boy, to see the hounds — which were exceedingly well 

 turned out and had a large following of " pinks " — draw the Chebacco 

 Wood. Of the sport at that time Mr. Seabury says : 



" We hunted foxes two and sometimes three days a week, but the coun- 

 try was so rough, as you know, that the foxes were able to get away most 

 of the time. In fact, we only killed one, but we had many a good run and 

 a lot of sport out of it, the pack at the time consisting of about twenty 

 couples." 



After 1889, the fox-hunting was practically abandoned, although the 

 hounds went out for foxes occasionally until 1898. Mr. Seabury carried 

 the horn until 1 893, when he retired, much to the sorrow of everybody, the 

 Mastership being taken by Mr. R. M. Appleton until the Spanish War 



123 



