I LOSE MY FIRST WIIIPPER-IN. 149 



the offer of the huntsman's place under his Grace of 

 Grafton, as Rose was about to be discharged. When 

 George told me this he added, " they have heard, sir, 

 of our sport, but I fear I should not give them satis- 

 faction unless T could take your hounds with me." 

 I confess that I was not a little angry at the way in 

 which the offer was made, but, as I had a very good 

 opinion of George, as well as a wish that he should 

 look to his own interests, I told him that the Duke of 

 Grafton's place was more likely to be a permanent 

 one than mine ; for I foresaw that the parliamentary 

 duties which I had undertaken, and the state of West 

 Indian affairs, together, would prevent my continuing 

 my hounds, or at least render their continuance un- 

 certain ; and therefore it was decidedly George Car- 

 ter's interest to leave me. George being unwilling 

 to go, I added that if an additional twenty pounds to 

 his wages would bring my service anything near the 

 duke's, I should be glad to retain him, — but if it did 

 not, for his own sake, he had better at once accept 

 Lord James's proposition. He told me that there was 

 at least a hundred pounds difference between the two 

 situations ; so, by my advice, and with my full con- 

 sent, he succeeded Rose as huntsman to the Duke of 

 Grafton, in which service he remained till the hounds 

 were given up ; he was then engaged by Mr. Ashton 

 Smith, in whose service he continues. Tom Skinner's 

 brother, Harry Skinner, then came to me from the 

 Worcestershire hounds, and Tom resumed the first 

 place. Harry was a willing, good-humoured fellow, 

 not afraid of work ; and though I missed George Carter 

 sadly, no alteration took place in my sport, nor in the 

 number of foxes killed ; and all, as far as sport was 

 concerned, continued " merry as a marriage bell." 



h 3 



