THE WHIPPER-IN 145 



rudeness on his own land from a whip, who 

 should remember that his conduct reflects in- 

 directly on his master. 



I am glad to say that hunt-servants, as a rule, 

 are a very superior class of men, and few are ever 

 guilty of behaviour to disgrace their profession. 

 Drink is their greatest temptation, and in the 

 downward course which leads to dismissal, every 

 one is ready to lend them a helping hand. Of 

 course, it is all done out of kindness, and with 

 the desire of showing goodwill to the hunt. All 

 are eager to give the hunt-servants strong drink, 

 and the stronger the stuff the more they feel they 

 have exerted the duties of hospitality. There- 

 fore it will be seen that the hunt-servant must 

 beware of his friends, and must depend on his 

 own powers of self-denial to uphold him in the 

 slippery path. One of the occasions which has 

 been the beginning of many a good man's down- 

 fall, is the taking out of puppies to walk, a task 

 which usually falls to the first whip. He may 

 have to call at twenty different houses, and he 

 may be quite certain of being offered spirits at 

 every one, so that unless he has made up his 

 mind to say no, he will be more than half-drunk 



K 



