172 NIMROD'S HUNTING TOUR 



great deal with a friend,* who took much dehght in talking of it, and 

 who, but from ill health, would never have forsaken it, I fancied 

 myself all but at home. I had listened with so much pleasure to 

 the many entertaining stories he had related of what had happened 

 there in Mr. Ward's, as well as in Mr. Nicoll's time, (and I believe in 

 no country under the sun has the " Coffee-house," as it is called, or 

 perhaps, more properly speaking, the Gonvcrzatione by the covert's 

 side, been equal to this), that the names of John Ward, Sam Nicoll, 

 Charles Mitchell, Billy Butler, Jemmy Gilbert, f Harbin, Nunes, not 

 forgetting old Woods, and half a score others, were quite familiar to 

 my ear ; and I had only to lament that any one of those whose 

 presence had so much contributed to the morning, as w^ell as evening, 

 amusement of the April month, was absent when I was in the Forest. 



The present master of the New Forest hounds, Mr. Nicoll, 

 succeeded the great John Ward, and has now hunted the country 

 nine seasons, with a subscription of about twelve hundred pounds 

 per annum. The country not requiring a strong pack, the kennel is 

 not large — consisting generally of forty couples of hunting hounds ; 

 about one half of which are bred by himself, and the other half by 

 the Duke of Beaufort, whose young drafts Mr. Nicoll has been so 

 fortunate as to get for some years past. 



My visit to Sir Hussey extended to the twentieth of April, during 

 which time I hunted four times with Mr. Nicoll ; but the same cause 

 (the dry weather) which operated against sport in the country I had 

 just quitted, was in full force here^ — not a drop of rain having fallen 

 for many weeks. Added to this, there was one other bar, not only 

 to sport, but to all chance of sport, and that was a lamentable scarcity 

 of foxes. 



* Mr. Chudleigh Haynes. One little anecdote, as a sample of this gentleman's 

 talent for quick and sarcastic reply, may not be unamusing to your readers. 

 Dining one day in a large party, where the almost exploded fashion of drinking 

 toasts was adhered to, he was, in his turn, called upon to give one. Having 

 observed that almost all those already drunk had been the healths of different 

 Noblemen, he told the President he supposed he must give him a Lord. " But 

 you have drunk them all," said he, " have you not?" — -" Not quite, neither," 

 added he ; "I think I can find one."—'" Who is he ? " said the President, ex- 

 pecting something ludicrous was coming. " Why, I'll give you Lord have mercy 

 ujMn us ! " said Mr. Haynes. 



I Mr. Gilbert's father once hunted the Forest. 



