VI 



Thatcher may have his detractors, and I know I have 

 more than once been hard on hhn — not however, so much 

 as a detractor as a critic . His good points midoiibtedly out- 

 weigh his weak ones, and although it is not always wdse 

 in the critic to professedly array himself on one side or 

 the other, I may admit that I think Thatcher is an 

 excellent man, and that Mr. Lonsdale has done wisely 

 in retaining his services. In the kennel he has few 

 superiors. In the field he has the love and confidence 

 of his hounds, and his casts are quick, clever, and gener- 

 ally succesful. He can ride to his hounds anywhere, 

 when his mount suits him, and he thoroughly knows 

 his business. More than this, he his a most pleasant, 

 good tempered man in the field, which is saying more 

 than I can for the generality of huntsmen. There 

 does not seem much loophole here for fault-finding, and 

 my readers must judge for themselves, w^hether I have 

 erred or not in my estimate of our Shropshire huntsman. 

 His first whip, Will Beavan, is a capital servant — a fine 

 horseman, quick, quiet, and, keen. Much to the regret 

 of all he, leaves, to benefit himself however, as he takes, 

 I believe, the horn in South Staffordshire next season. 

 Borderer wishes him well, and will watch his career 

 with interest. The second whip also, gets a lifb, and is 

 going to Lord Middleton. New servants are always a 

 drawback to a hunt, but it is a feathe,r in a huntsman's 

 cap to have promotion awarded to his whips. 



Of sport this season with the Shropshire, I wish I 

 could speak wuth higher encomiums. ' Compared wdth 

 last year it has been moderate ; compared with other 

 packs it has been average. There have been many 

 unlucky and disappointing days ; there has been a lack 

 of scent on the ploughs, and a lack of foxes in some 

 important quarters, both of which causes have been 

 deterrents from the attainment of the acme of our hopes 

 and desires. Luckily, however, both are, we trust, ephe- 

 meral, and with such a master, and such a pack of 

 hounds, surely there is not a true man in the countv, or 



