48 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



some celebrated strain, and these with a lately imported Eng- 

 lish stud hound, formed the nucleus of his new kennels. 



This was the state of things when the writer paid a visit to 

 Col. Thorpe. It is quite necessary the reader should know the 

 foregoing for what is to follow, as well as to get a correct idea 

 of this rivalry between hound breeders all over the Southern 

 States. The fox hunt itself, so far as the hunting part goes, is 

 of very minor account. The sport centres, not in the pursued, 

 but in the pursuers. 



The above history of these adjoining packs is very similar 

 to thousands of other packs all over the Sunny South. Gene- 

 ration after generation had handed down the history and tradi- 

 tions of these family packs until the war, when thousands of 

 them were broken up (the houses and plantations as well). 

 However, many of the old southern plantations survived, and 

 have since been rebuilt, and once more the "heavenly music" 

 cheers on the younger generation, in whose blood runs the un- 

 quenchable fire and spirit of the chase. 



This coming together of the Sacket and Thorpe kennels, as 

 the writer afterwards surmised, was principally on account 

 of the writer's making a remark favourable to the English bred 

 hound and that he wished to call on Col. Sacket, to whom he 

 had a letter of introduction. Col. Sacket, as we have shown, 

 was at the time using English blood. Col. Thorpe still swore 

 by the blood of old Ginger. It was principally to convince 

 the writer as well as to take Col. Sacket's EngHsh-bred dogs 

 down a peg or two that the invitation was sent out for him to 

 join us. This invitation, as the reader can now imagine, 

 amounted to a challenge. 



For the description of the events of the night, we shall, 

 as before stated, depend upon Jim. The writer rode here and 

 there about the wood, with Col. Sacket, or was stationed by 

 him at given points best calculated to see the run, or sat listen- 

 ing on his horse, sometimes for half an hour, without hearing 



