EEMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. Ill 



body or over-cry of young hounds in high condition, 

 and, as the saying is, " full of devil," as young hounds 

 should be, who had been taught what hunting was, 

 and who were impatient for a scent, no matter what 

 it was — most of them those from Berkeley Castle, 

 reared on farms full of hares, where they commenced 

 hunting as soon as they could run, — I say this over- 

 cry of puppies, in a long draw for a fox, or in a bad 

 scent among hares, was a very difficult thing to 

 manage, and required the utmost patience and per- 

 severance, and a quick whipper-in, — and that I had 

 in Tom Skinner. When things went wild, it was 

 difficult under these circumstances to show sport; 

 but every now and then, with a quick find, and a 

 holding scent, the cry would bring down the very 

 leaves, and make the bushes crack again, as the eager 

 " devilry" rushed through the woods. 



The first regular season commenced ; I advertised 

 the four days a week, and was soon given to see 

 that the chief and most disagreeable difficulty I had 

 to contend with was a certain malevolence within, 

 what was called, the Oakley Club; the secretary 

 of which did not hunt, and therefore could not 

 have been personally interested, or much of a judge 

 in the sport and method of the master of hounds. 

 Towards the close of the first season, the Oakley 

 Club, continuing in the same course which they had 

 latterly observed towards the former master of 

 hounds, Lord Tavistock, held a solemn meeting; I 

 do not think there was more than a proprietor 

 or two among them, and at this meeting they at- 

 tempted to dictate to me. The step they took was 

 to inform me " that they were dissatisfied with the 

 sport I had shown, and that therefore I must keep 



