The Bedale Hounds, 1832-1908 155 



extreme kindness which has been shown 

 to me on all hands/' 



Although as mentioned at the end of the 

 last chapter, the country lost the services of 

 Major Dent, it had not to look very far for 

 a successor. 



After a lapse of eighty years, a Duke of 

 Leeds was once more ready to keep hounds. 

 This time, not to hunt in the " far west' * and 

 run into Westmoreland, but to take com- 

 mand of the now well established *' Bedale.'' 



A more fitting person could not have been 

 found. As a large land and covert owner, 

 devoted to all field sports, and especially 

 fond of a quick gallop over a good country, 

 he was the very man for the position, and 

 he came into office with the goodwill and 

 the best wishes of all. 



In addition to the regulation three days 

 a week, the Duke kept a sufficient number 

 of hounds to enable him to hunt a fourth ; 

 on which he hunted hounds himself, devoting 

 this day to the west, north-west, and south- 

 west sides of the country, where he had 

 some good sport. 



Those who are fond of hounds, and take 

 an interest and pride in the pack they 

 regularly hunt with, owe a very great debt 

 of gratitude to the Duke. For some years, 

 puppies at ' * Quarters ' ' had gone wrong ; 

 many ills had affected those which * ' came 

 in," and there was rather a want of some 

 large quantity of fresh young blood in the 

 kennel. The Duke took the bull by the 



