234 NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 



Although he has now been six years in his grave, *' and to our 

 purposes he lives no more," I cannot pass over a celebrated character 

 connected with the Fife hounds — the late Tom Crane, their huntsman ; 

 and particularly so, as we were born and bred within nine miles of each 

 other, and were both entered about the same time, to the same pack o* 

 fox-hounds — those of Sir Richard Puleston, to whom Crane's father was 

 for many years butler, and afterwards, for the remainder of his life, 

 steward. Here then was Tom's debut, or start as it may here perhaps 

 be more technically denominated, and no bad one either. In the first 

 place, his father was a very sensible and well conducted man in his 

 situation of life, and the son had the benefit of good example. In the 

 next, he was, we may say, cradled in a kennel, and in one of as good a 

 judge of hounds, and of every thing appertaining to hunting, as England 

 has hitherto produced. Lastly, no man in that part of the world had 

 an establishment of such orderly, well trained servants as Sir Richard 

 Puleston always had, and I may add, few servants have a kinder or more 

 considerate master; but it is good masters alone that make good 

 servants. 



The history of Tom Crane is this: — When Sir Richard Puleston went 

 to Ireland as Lieutenant-colonel of the Ancient British Fencibles— a 

 light dragoon regiment, raised by Sir VVatkin Williams Wynn, Bart., 

 and which greatly distinguished itself in the unfortunate Rebellion in 

 Ireland, in 1798 — he gave up his fox-hounds, pro-tempore, and Tom 

 accompanied him as pad-groom, if such a term may be applied to a 

 military gentleman's stable servant. And it was here he may be said 

 first to have displayed that quickness and decision of character for which 

 he was, through life, so conspicuous. In one of the several engagements 



