106 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



very grand hound, you shall see him presently." Then we 

 have a short history of Barmaid's good qualities and peculiari- 

 ties. She is a very jealous hound, giving tongue to a line only 

 as long as she is able to lead the pack. Next the INIaster 

 asks Buttry to show us the four daughters of Trumpeter. 

 Quickstep, Frivolous, Prettymaid and Faultless, four magnifi- 

 cent bitches, answer to their names, and are discussed in turn 

 and collectively, our ISIaster selecting this one to illustrate his 

 idea of a perfect shoulder, another for feet and leg, and another 

 for carriage of head and stern, and so on, until we have in our 

 mind's eye the blaster's idea of what constitutes a faultless 

 hound, and the standard he is aiming to produce. Our adjec- 

 tives are quite exhausted, and we begin to comprehend what 

 it means to breed foxhounds to colour, size, markings, feet, 

 legs, shoulders, loins, back, fling, drive, courage, endurance, 

 carriage, music, nose. 



There is no domestic animal where the requirements are 

 so numerous and the qualifications so exacting, as those striven 

 for and produced in the modern foxhound : the horse — even the 

 hunter — not excepted. 



On our way to the dog hounds, we pass through the boiler 

 room where a great cauldron kettle is steaming to a slow fire, 

 producing the evening feed of oatmeal, which smells good 

 enough and looks clean enough to set before a king. 



"Now, Buttry," says our INIaster, "when you are ready we 

 will have a look at Bartender," who, hearing liis name spoken 

 by the INIaster within, lets go his tongue with the eagerness of 

 the village fire alarm. The deep-mouthed Trumpeter and a 

 dozen others rush to his side and join the chorus. At the same 

 time, the bitches from the opposite side of the kennels and 

 even the invalids in the hospital wards, loose their tongues. 



Then, with a flourish of his old hunting crop, and the report 

 of its loud speaking thong, and a shout from Buttry that rises 

 above the tumult without and witliin (Buttry perinits no liber- 



