THE EARTH-STOPPER 101 



and brought hounds, horses, and men, to his welcome 

 and undoubted halloo. 



The Earth-stopper is generally a popular man in 

 the country, and many of them are as good hands 

 at rinding their ways into the earths of farmers and 

 gentlemen's houses, as they are at finding the fox 

 earths. Besides ascertaining the breeds and probable 

 number of foxes, they have also to hear evidence as 

 to their ravages, and keep a check on the poultry 

 account. Here they act as middle men between the 

 Master and the hen farmer, and in this department 

 we would advise them to give the cast of the scale in 

 favour of the farmer. Never mind if the hunt does 

 pay for a few more hens and geese than reynard 

 really consumes. Foxhunters pay nothing for field 

 damage, hedging, rail-mending, and so on ; and, 

 moreover, the poultry is generally the perquisite of 

 the ladies, to whom foxhunters are always ready to 

 do suit and service. Indeed, were we a Master — 

 which had we to make out a catalogue of wishes 

 instead of one of objections — we should place at the 

 head of the list — we should always be glad to hear of 

 a good lot of poultry damage. We should regard the 

 ravages of reynard much as we regard the appetite 

 of our friend Peter Pigskin, who it does our heart 

 good to see feed. The more damage say we the 

 more foxes, at least we would flatter ourselves so, 

 though some ungentlemanly foxes certainly will com- 

 mit waste as well as proper plunder. These, how- 

 ever, are the shabby dogs of the country, who generally 

 die ignominiously in cover, their distended bellies 

 "with fat capon lined." 



In no instance is the popularity or unpopularity of 

 a Master more apparent than in the abundance or 

 scarcity of foxes. The man who can command a 

 country full of foxes without the aid of a super- 

 intendent Earth-stopper, resembles a monarch who 

 can trust himself among his people without a body 



