THE MASTERS. 33 



really fit for hunting or not, and accidents might Iiappcn with sheep, trains, 

 ^c, it is better for the individual to waive his riglit, and send the hounds 

 home. If two or more members attend the meet, they arc quite justified in 

 luinting, if the majority consider it fit to do so. 



Hunting for precedents for the above criticism, we find several in the 

 early records of the R.R.I). 



25th November, 1S46. Met ;it Tranmere Church. Had some very pretty 

 hunting among the gardens at the roadside, &c., &c. Mr. Dean was very civil, 

 and made not the smallest objection to our knocking about his garden ; on 

 the contrary, appeared much to enjoy the sport. V. A. King was the only 

 member out, in consequence of the rain. 



Sth December, 1S47. Oxton Bridge. Tried over Oxton in vain. At last 

 fi)und on Noctorum, and after some good rings and excellent hunting, lost 

 in a lane near Upton, where some sheep had destroyed the scent. One 

 member. (A. Walford.) 



\Vhen Jones was huntsman, some instances are on record of his 

 hunting tlie hounds without any members or any one else being presenti 

 and once when only two strangers attended. 



iSth November. 1S48. New Hall. A wet afternoon. Most of the members 

 having had so heavy a day on Thursday, no one went to the meet. Jones 

 made nothing of it. 



28th March, 1853. Moreton. No member turning up, Jones walked off, 

 and was met by Mr. Macfie, so he threw off on the Upton side, but made 

 nothing of it. 



24th January, 1853. Thingwall Mill. Found just under the mill. Scent 

 very bad ; however, after knocking her about for near an hour, she went 

 into Arrow. There being only two strangers present, Jones went home after 

 the first run. 



Here is an instance of a liberty taken with a fixture by the Master, 

 probably at the instigation of Henry ^^'alford : — • 



loth February, 1849. Arrow Hall. Mr. Ravvson (the Master) being down 

 ("at that time he was very seldom in the neighbourhood), we met early on 

 Noctorum. but did not find till near one, when, after a short spin, we had 

 to trot off to Arrow to lunch at 2 p.m., and join the party in the 'bus. We 

 found a capital lunch prepared, to which ample justice was done. Mr. Shaw 

 being from home, had desired the keeper to get a " bagged " hare turned out, 

 which gave us a sharp quarter of an hour. We then made for Irby, and 

 chopped a hare in a stubble. We soon found another, which took us as 

 straight as a fox to Caldy, where we lost her on the hills. We did no more 

 good afterwards. 



Now this fixture was for a Saturday afternoon's 'bus meet at Arrow 

 Hall, two p.m., and it certainly strikes us as not at all a fair thing for 

 some of the members to waylay the hounds on their way to the meet, and, 

 because the Master happened to be present that day, hunt the hounds 

 beforehand in another stretch of country. Suppose they had found a 

 straight-going hare, which might have taken them to Leasowe or Hoylake, 



F 



