THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



' P.S. — I hope your stable continues riglit, and that you will 

 come here soon. Depend upon it, it is the place for sport. 

 In fact, one of the flyers here says — not that I agree with 

 him — "riding to cover over this country is better than riding 



to hounds over most others." 



' F. R.' 



The next appearance of our young sportsman with hounds, 

 was with those of the Duke of Rutland at one of their most 

 favourite fixtures, and where, as is usual in such cases, most 

 of the leading characters of the three adjoining hunts met 

 together. The scene, like that at Cream Lodge, was one of the 

 most cheering and soul-stirring description to a person of his 

 age and experience, and tended to enhance greatly his opinion 

 of Melton as a domicile for a hunting man. Then there was 

 a character at the head of his Grace's hunting establishment 

 who was an object of much interest, and especially so with 

 young sportsmen, inasmuch as he was, at that period, what 

 may be called the only one in his calling with anything like 

 equal pretensions ; namely, to unite the gentleman with the 

 huntsman, combining the duties of the servant withal. This 

 was the far-famed Shaw, who then hunted the Duke of 

 Rutland's hounds, and who, for what may be called 'style' in 

 every department and movement of his calling, was the most 

 celebrated huntsman of the day. All this, indeed, was visible 

 to Frank Raby previously to the hounds throwing off'; for, 

 instead of seeing him, where he looked for him, in the middle 

 of his pack, as they stood under the shelter of a fence, await- 

 ing the appointed hour, he observed him coming along on his 

 cover-hack, at the rate of fifteen miles in the hour, and in 

 company with two distinguished sportsmen, then on a visit to 

 the Duke, and who were, no doubt, enjoying, as well as profit- 

 ing by, the sage and pertinent remarks of a man so eminent 

 in his way, which, although delivered with the authority of a 

 master, were given with the respect expected from a servant. 

 Nor was this all : he was amused with his proceedings on his 

 arrival. After the usual exchange of greetings between him- 

 self and his hounds, which no man who has a soul, or is 

 capable of being pleased with such simple exhibitions of nature, 

 can witness without pleasure, there was something quite 

 aristocratic in the manner in which he prepared himself for 

 entering upon his office, and commencing the operations of 

 the day. Tlie mud-boots being taken off, and the dust, should 



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