YORKSHIRE 283 



received more assistance in a critical moment from Mr. John 

 Musters than from either of the men under him. 



When the late Mr. Musters gave up his fox-hounds, he kept a 

 pack of harriers, which the present Mr. Musters hunted for several 

 seasons ; but during this period, and indeed during the whole of his 

 noviciate, as it may be termed, he was in the constant habit of 

 hunting with the celebrated Mr. Meynell, who was not only par- 

 ticularly attached to him, but partly considered him as his pupil. 

 Indeed, almost one of the last acts of the sporting life of this 

 "great man in his way" was making a present to Mr. Musters 

 of ten couples of his prime old hounds as a foundation of his future 

 pack. 



I have here only spoken of the present Mr. Musters with 

 reference to his performance in the field. Now it has been justly 

 observed, that the fuller, the dyer, and the weaver, understand not 

 each other's trades ; notwithstanding which, between them all, a 

 good piece of cloth is manufactured. Thus it is possible that a 

 person may be a superior hunter of hounds in the field, without 

 being a master-man in his kennel, and yet the pack he hunts may 

 be turned out in the very best stj'le. When I was at Pitsford, it 

 was the end of the season ; the favourite bitches were gone down to 

 the Nottinghamshire kennel, and the thing nearly at an end. The 

 kennel at Pitsford was also four miles from Mr. Musters's house, 

 w"hich might account for ihe master's eye not being over it so often 

 as might be desirable. In addition to this, he had for his head 

 whipper-in Tom Smith, who had hunted Lord Middleton's pack for 

 some seasons in Warwickshire ; and he also had his house full of 

 company ; but, although I make no comparisons, I see not the least 

 reason to doubt Mr. Musters's capability to perform all the duties of 

 a huntsman equal to any other man in England. Indeed I will 

 go farther than this, and say, that, cradled as he was in a kennel, 

 he would be almost entitled to the appellation of a stupid fellow 

 had he not perfected himself in every department of the art of 

 breeding and feeding hounds. Now, as all the world knows he is 

 anything hut a stuind felloic, and with zeal enough to set the world 

 on fire, I argue, logically, that he must be a good kennel huntsman : 

 and as to his performance in the field, not another word need be 



