FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 129 



of Darlington (afterwards Duke of Cleveland), 

 but owing to failing health he gave up that 

 portion which has since been called the Bedale 

 Hunt, in 1832 ; and at that date Mr. Mark 

 Milbank of Thorp Perrow became the Bedale 

 Master, his reign extending to 1856. During the 

 early part of his career Mr. Milbank hunted the 

 hounds himself, and his two whippers-in were 

 named Barwick and Mason. About twenty 

 couples of his hounds came from Scotland, and 

 the remainder consisted of drafts from other 

 packs. Although coming from so many sources 

 into a new country, his pack seems to have had 

 fair success, as during their first season they 

 hunted on seventy-three days and killed forty- 

 six foxes. In their second season they hunted 

 ninety-six days and killed seventy foxes. 



Why is it, I wonder, that a new pack collected 

 by drafts from many kennels, and all strange to 

 one another, should at first almost invariably 

 work well together and catch their foxes ? 



On this subject Beckford had something to 

 say, for he tells us : '' There is a pack now in my 

 neighbourhood, of all sorts and sizes, which 

 seldom miss a fox. When they run there is a 

 long string of them, and every fault is hit off by an 

 old southern hound. However, out of the last 

 eighteen foxes they hunted they killed seventeen, 

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