THE NEW KENNELS 83 



sheds into lodging-houses, and a portion of the farm-yard into a 

 spacious yard for hounds. In addition to this, another large 

 shed made an over-night kennel for the hunting hounds, and a 

 lesser one a house for the bitches. The coach-house made a 

 capital three-stall stable, and the cart stables grew into comfort- 

 able stalls and boxes, which, in addition to the stable I found 

 there, made the thing complete. A boiling-house, with running 

 water at hand, built a little way off the kennel, to prevent the 

 smuts from the chimney soiling the coats of my hounds, was also 

 soon finished ; and I wrote to my butler, who had behaved so 

 gallantly with Smoker and the stag, to bring to Harrold my 

 pack, assisted by their kennel-man ; whippers-in were not then 

 in my service. I shall never forget how impatient I was for 

 their appearance on the day of their arrival. The kennel, white- 

 washed and dry, and the nice clean straw, which I had got put 

 on to the bedsteads, looked so inviting, that I could have slept 

 in it myself. Towards the afternoon I mounted Norna, and 

 went to meet them. We had a joyous meeting, the hounds and 

 myself, at the bridge near Oakley ; and at the bridge at Harrold 

 the people of the little town and many of the yeomen and farmers 

 came to meet me, the bells in the steeple setting up a merry 

 peal. What happened, was what I feared would happen ; one 

 of the horses of my friends, the rider of which had come up to 

 bid me welcome, severely kicked a hound, though without serious 

 injury ; the yeomen and farmers then attended me to the kennel, 

 and Harrold, for the first time in its existence, contained a pack 

 of hounds. The first purchase I made in horse-flesh was of 

 ponies for cub-hunting, and one or two likely young horses from 

 farmers, out of condition. In buying these horses, and knowing 

 the points of a clever horse, though lean, I took care that they 

 were large enough for machiners, so that, if they did not train 

 on to be hunters, at the out-of-condition price I gave for them, 

 I could not lose money. Some of these horses turned out ad- 

 mirably ; for one, for whom I gave thirty pounds, after I had 

 ceased to keep hounds, I sold at three hundred guineas ; and 

 many more paid me, besides their work, double and treble what 



