218 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN 



was the joint gamekeeper of Lord Malmsbury and Mr. Fane, a 

 better servant never existed : it was a difficult service to fill, but 

 he thoroughly understood the nature of it, and gave to his 

 employers every satisfaction. Poor fellow ! I little thought 

 when he loaded my second gun this last winter of 1853 it was 

 the last time I should ever receive that service at his hands. 

 He died in the spring of consumption, regretted, not only by 

 his masters, but by every fellow-servant whose opinion was 

 worth having. 



It was a severe day of the good old sort, the one I am speak- 

 ing of, and at the right time of year, seasonable weather, as 

 described by Walter Scott, 



' f When snow falls thick at Christmas tide, 

 And we can neither hunt nor ride 

 A foray on the English side." 



A statement had been made that a gentleman on this river had 

 suddenly flushed a lot of baldcoots from their roost upon the 

 ice, every one of whom left its tail, a frozen tuft, behind him ; 

 and as quantities of these birds lighted close to the respective 

 " gazes " on the river in which Lord Malmsbury and myself lay 

 concealed, while the keeper was driving the water, it occurred 

 to us to inspect the individuals and see if any of them were so 

 deficient. Out of the two or three hundred coots that ran, 

 walked, slid or sat by us, not more than three or four had tails, 

 so we agreed, on comparing notes, that for the coots to be so 

 denuded was a contingency on hard weather, as well as a proof 

 that the statement! we had heard was true. This puts me in 

 mind of a fact furnished me by Mr. Weld of Lulworth Castle. 

 The evening had set in with a south-east wind and drizzling 

 rain or sea-mist, but towards morning, when the moon rose, the 

 wind shifted to the north, the sky cleared, and a very sharp 

 frost supervened. The shepherd attending the sheep in the 

 park arose before six, the frost at its height, and the moon 

 making it light as day ; and as he was approaching the fold, his 

 path lay under some high trees, the favourite roost of wood- 



