28 THE HUNTING FIELD 



" It is your opinion, I find," writes Mr. Beckford, 

 and we trust all the foregoing great sportsmen will 

 excuse the freedom with which we have written their 

 names, " It is your opinion, I find," writes Mr. Beck- 

 ford, " that a gentleman might make the best hunts- 

 man ; I have no doubt that he would, if he chose the 

 trouble of it." 



It is just the " trouble " that chokes people off half 

 the projects and enterprizes of life. If it wasn't the 

 trouble, and perhaps a leetle the fear of Mr. Hard wick, 

 we would give that confounded organ-grinder, who 

 has just struck up under our window, for the third 

 time this morning, an uncommon good quilting, but 

 as it is, we will just sit still and let him grind himself 

 out. 



Thank God, he's gone at last, though he has sorely 

 put us out. Let us see what was it we were writing 

 about. Oh, we have it — gentlemen-huntsmen and 

 paid-huntsmen. Well, our next sketch shall be that 

 of a paid " Huntsman," a jolly black-capped, red- 

 faced, purple-lapped huntsman; meanwhile we will 

 glance at the other duties of a " Master," lest the non- 

 hunting portion of the community may suppose 

 "blowing out" and "blowing up" are the only 

 qualifications requisite for one. 



For the benefit of embryo gentlemen-huntsmen, we 

 may, however, quote what Colonel Cook wrote on the 

 subject in his "Observations on Foxhunting" — an 

 able work written by a practical sportsman, and 

 published some twenty years ago — " Gentlemen," 

 says he, "should recollect, let their situation in life 

 be ever so exalted, if they condescend to hunt their 

 own hounds, that when in the field they are huntsmen ; 

 a huntsman is a public character, and as such is liable 

 to have remarks and criticisms made by the field (who 

 it is always to be remembered are but lookers on, and 

 as such are apt to flatter themselves they know as much 



