50 Iftfnas of tbe 1buntlng=J'ielb 



that work would have made the hair of a Master of 



the Quorn stand on end with horror. For, John boasted 



that they would hunt anything from a rabbit to a sheep. 



They had some of their best sport with hares. As for 



the fox, he was regarded by these sporting dalesmen as 



vermin to be hunted down and slain without mercy. 



Reynard played too much havoc with the young lambs 



to be allowed any of the honours and privileges now 



assigned him. When there was a fox-hunt on, the 



dalesmen assembled mostly on foot, for their quarry was 



pretty safe to lead them where horses could not follow, 



and John Peel's nondescript pack was reinforced by 



every kind of dog in the neighbourhood, 



' Mongrel, puppy, whelp and hound, 

 And cur of low degree.' 



His own knowledge of the country for miles around 

 was extraordinarily minute and accurate, and when a fox 

 was started he was seldom at fault as to the line it 

 would pursue. 



Among John Peel's many sporting friends was one 

 John Woodcock Graves, a native of Wigton, who, as a 

 lad, had hunted with the hounds of Joseph Steel of 

 Cockermouth, a noted sportsman. When he was about 

 in mid-manhood Graves came to Caldbeck and started 

 a woollen mill there. Being still a keen sportsman, he 

 speedily made the acquaintance of John Peel, with whom 

 he had many a good day's hunting. Graves was an 

 extraordinary walker, and it was said that there was not 

 a horse in the dales that he could not tire out. His admira- 

 tion for his friend Peel as a sportsman was enthusiastic. 

 He was, amongst his many accomplishments, a bit of an 

 artist, and painted a portrait of John which is still 

 preserved in the family. As a likeness it is said to be 



