REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 63 



tions prove the rule ; of course there are some very- 

 worthy men among them. 



When the hounds crossed the Harrow country, the 

 gentlemen with me were often hunted as well as hunt- 

 ing, and frequent assaults took place. In those days I 

 did not care much for any personal interruption, but 

 the farmers adopted a nasty plan of serving me, in the 

 first place, Avith a notice not to trespass, and then, 

 estimating among themselves the amount of damage, 

 " Pay us," they said, " or stand an action at law." I 

 remember riding over to one of their houses, and 

 pointing out to them the exorbitant nature of their 

 demand, at the same time showing that, for a 

 quarter of their charge, I could hire a man or men 

 to tread in every horse-print on the land, and at the 

 same time purchase stakes and thorns to mend the 

 gaps. The ridiculous reply to this was, " that tread- 

 ing in the steps of the horses would not suffice ; each 

 footstep must be filled in with a composition of 

 manure and mould." I had nothing left for it but 

 to pay, or the country would have been closed against 

 us. To take the burthen off my shoulders, the gen- 

 tlemen who hunted with me raised a public fund for 

 damage. Kindly intended as it was, it only made 

 matters ten times worse ; for then all those who, out 

 of consideration for me individually, refrained from 

 complaining, at once made a rush at the public money, 

 and the whole line of country after a run sent in its 

 bill. The farmers also adopted another plan of catch- 

 ing any gentlemen they could come up with, and 

 making them pay for their liberty. Horses were 

 pounded, and gentlemen have sat on the rails bar- 

 gaining for their freedom. The late Mr. Fermor, as 

 quiet and good-natured a soul as ever hunted, was 



