112 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



a huntsman, or tliey should cease in their subscrip- 

 tions." This pompous order I as flatly refused to 

 listen to ; at the same time informing the Club, that 

 if any gentleman would tell me to my face that he 

 individually regretted having subscribed, I would 

 write him a cheque for what he had given, and 

 cancel his liability for the future ; but if their secre- 

 tary, acting for them as a body, attempted to shirk 

 the responsibility of the thousand pounds per annum 

 for two years, which he had pledged himself on the 

 part of the Club to find, I would try if the law would 

 not force the payment. Here ended the matter for 

 the time ; I went on as usual, the hounds becoming 

 every hour more efficient, and the sport increasing. 



The first season being over, my next object was 

 to breed as many puppies as I could obtain walks 

 for ; which, with my second choice of those bred at 

 Berkeley Castle, would be sufficient for my entry. 

 To induce the farmers to undertake the trouble of a 

 puppy, and as some little acknowledgment to those 

 who had kindly and gratuitously offered to do so, I 

 resolved to give a silver cup to him who delivered 

 to the kennel the best-conditioned and finest-grown 

 puppy ; my decision to be made known at a dinner 

 which I gave to all those who reared and brought 

 home young hounds. This took amazingly ; it was 

 a thing to look forward to — a merry meeting, con- 

 siderably promoting good fellowship and the pre- 

 servation of foxes. I was short of brood bitches 

 the first season, and I bred from a bitch I had from 

 Sir John Cope, called Jeopardy ; the father of her 

 puppies was a compact and powerful hound, called 

 Blazer, whom I had from Colonel Wyndham. Blazer 

 was entered when he came to me, but I soon dis- 



