THE TJFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



young sportsman and his oroom — the latter, indeed, feeling 

 proud of them, and, of course, claiming the merit to himself. 

 After a fortnight's hare-hunting with his father, Frank Raby 

 and his stud made their appearance in Warwickshire. But 

 why select Warwickshire, when other and more fashionable 

 countries were at his option — Leicestershire, Northampton- 

 shire, etc. ? The answer is comprised in a few words. Neither 

 his purse nor his stud were then equal to Leicestershire, in the 

 first place ; and in the next, he was strongly recommended to 

 Warwickshire, on account of the gentleman who then hunted 

 it, and the harmony and good fellowship that was said to 

 distinguish the society of that long-established Hunt, and of 

 the neighbourhood generally in which the headquarters of the 

 Hunt were established. And who was the gentleman who then 

 hunted Warwickshire, and was considered so particularly worthy 

 of our young sportsman's notice ? The justly celebrated Mr. 

 Corbet — and celebrated, not merely as a master of foxhounds 

 and a sportsman, but as possessing, to the greatest extent, the 

 manners and deportment of the highly-finished gentleman, 

 although of a school of a somewhat earlier date than the period 

 to which we now allude. But it was from a desire on the part 

 of his father and a few of his particular friends, that Frank 

 Raby should witness a specimen of the school which had given 

 to Mr. Corbet these highly -finished manners and deportment^ that 

 a visit to this country, in preference to any other, was uro-ed 

 upon him. 



' I see a little of it,' said Mr. Raby to his son, when discussing 

 these matters, 'in my own small way, as master of a pack 

 of harriers ; but, depend upon it, there are not many situations 

 in which the manners, the deportment, and the temper of men 

 are oftener called forth into action, and this to public view, than 

 when placed in the trying one of master of English foxhounds. 

 First, be it remembered, it is a post of no trifling eminence, 

 and is apt to engender a little pride of place, as most other 

 situations do.' 



In this situation, then, as master of a pack of foxhounds, 

 Mr. Corbet was considered a pattern- card ; and as Mr. Raby 

 had good reason to believe that, one day or another, his son 

 would be similarly placed, he was on that account more 

 anxious for his visiting Warwickshire whilst Mr. Corbet 

 hunted it. He was also informed that there were a few ver}' 



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