r62 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR 



fife, nor the dissipation of a camp, had eradicated the good 

 principles that his father had instilled into him, I am proud to 

 record the following circumstance. Sir Richard showed me a 

 letter from him to his father, which not only contained a most 

 correct expression of his sentiments upon various other subjects, 

 but highly creditable appeal to himself as to a step he was about 

 to take. It appeared the hounds were about to be given up by 

 the duke, and to be transferred to the possession of Lord Stewart. 

 The purport of this appeal then was, to obtain the sanction of 

 Sir Richard as to his (Crane's) continuing to hunt them, after his 

 Grace gave them up. And here, as may be imagined, conflicting 

 circumstances were at work. Crane was aware that the duke 

 was partial to him as a servant,* for, in delicate but not incom- 

 prehensible terms, he signified as much in his letter ; and he 

 likewise expressed his high regard for his Grace, as well as his 

 gratitude for the favours he had received from him, his dis- 

 charge from the army 'one of them. But the fact was, Crane 

 was still more partial to his hounds, and expressed a strong 

 desire to go with them, leaving, however, that point entirely to 

 the decision of Sir Richard Puleston, with the assurance that, if 

 he thought he ought not to quit the service of his Grace, nothing 

 should tempt him to do so, unless it were his Grace's pleasure. 



Crane, however, did goto Lord Stewart with the hounds ; and 

 several good anecdotes are related of him in Fife, during his 

 career with his lordship, as well as that with the duke. Amongst 

 them, the following may not be thought unworthy of being re- 

 corded. During the Peninsular war, the opposing armies were 

 in front of each other, but no active operations Agoing on. Of 

 course the line of demarcation between them was drawn out, 

 and Crane was told of the consequences that might be the result, 

 if his ardour in following his hounds led him within the enemy's 

 lines. It, however, did one day lead him within them, being 

 determined to follow his hounds ; nor did he retire until two 

 shots were fired at him by the videttes ! So much for the 

 enthusiasm of a sportsman. On another occasion, when with 

 Lord Stewart, he was told he ought not to ride before the King 

 f France (Charles X.), with whose hounds he was in the field as 

 an amateur. Some high park hurdles, however, presenting 

 themselves, and none of the field appearing inclined to leap 



* On peace being restored, the duke took Crane into his service 

 again, and he had the care of his Grace's stud, then kept at Hatfield, in 

 Herts with permission to ride them whenever he liked. It was here 

 that he married his wife, a daughter of the Marquis of Salisbury's 

 steward ; but preferring hunting to following hounds, he applied for 

 and procured the situation of huntsman to the Fife pack.- 



