CHAPTER V 



SHORT MASTERSHIPS AND THEIR CAUSES 



Resignations from Masters of Hounds are fairly- 

 tumbling in ; never before, or since, the fatal year 

 of the outbreak of the South African War have so 

 many 2 vacancies "at the end of the season" been 

 announced. 



In that year of the war the number of Masters and 

 ex-Masters of Foxhounds and Harriers who took the 

 field was a large one, but at the close of hostilities 

 several of the returned warriors resumed the more 

 pacific commands they had vacated, and some of them 

 still retain them ; the fashion for very short Master- 

 ships which seems to be customary nowadays did 

 not then prevail. A few statistics respecting the 

 tenure of office of our English Masters of Hounds 

 may prove of interest just now. 



In 1908 there were in England seventy-eight Masters 

 of Hounds who had only held their positions for 

 five years or less ; indeed, nineteen of these were 

 elected in 1907 and twenty-four the year before ; and a 

 good many of these gentlemen have now signified 

 their intention of retiring in the spring. That these 

 wholesale retirements, these very short Masterships, 



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