BEMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 125 



the Oakley Club were nonsuited ; they could neither 

 get a master of hounds to negotiate with them, nor 

 could they take the country from me. This attempt 

 to domineer over me was of a piece, in short, with 

 former conduct to Lord Tavistock, when they 

 claimed his hounds. In addition to the support of 

 the landed interest, instead of the subscriptions fall- 

 ing short, my subscription that year increased ; and 

 as I had hunted the country in scarlet coats the first 

 two years, giving in to a request from the Oakley 

 Club that I would do so, I now donned the old 

 family colour, and appeared in the " tawny garb." 



On the third season, the very fact of my pack 

 havino; too much youth amono: them at the first, now 

 gave me a body of hounds of two years' experience, 

 so that mine then began to be a most powerful kennel. 

 I think it was either at the close of the second year, 

 or before the commencement of the third, that my 

 friend Loraine Smith, hearing that I Avanted a first 

 whipper-in, told me " that the Duke of Grafton in 

 his opinion was about to discharge his best man." 

 His account of him was, a " first-rate sportsman, and 

 as hard as nails." He informed me " that the duke 

 had decided on lessening his establishment, and parted 

 with Carter as being the least in favour." On the 

 10th of May, I think in 1833, George Carter, Mr. 

 Ashton Smith's present huntsman, came to me from 

 the Duke of Grafton, after having whipped into his 

 Grace's hounds for three seasons. The man from the 

 Salisbury kennel having been discharged, I punished 

 Tom Skinner for his only fault, drinking, by making him 

 second whipper-in, and taking George Carter as my 

 head man. I remember the remark of some hunting 



