LETTER VIII. 85 



big a man as myself; but I do not wish to justify my 

 conduct in striking a servant at all. I was out of order 

 as well as Tom, and so I felt afterwards. Boys, how- 

 ever, must have a practical lesson or two to break them 

 in, and some will not do so without many such. A 

 wiser head than mine has laid this down as a rule, and 

 there are few who will not sometimes require it. 



Masters of hounds are often abused for their quickness 

 and impatience in the field. Having been one myself, I 

 may, from experience, say that they are often placed in 

 situations which require almost the patience of Job. T 

 allude to those particularly who hunt their own hounds. 

 Those who look on at the game cannot feel as those do 

 who are eagerly engaged in it. See a man on a good 

 scenting day with a good fox before the hounds trying 

 to break away, but headed in every direction by some 

 coffee-housing fellows, smoking their cigars or talking 

 politics, while he is working like a slave to show them 

 the sport they do not deserve. The fox breaks, perhaps, 

 for half a field ; some outrigger heads him back again, 

 and very often a good fox is thus killed in covert which 

 would have left the members of a cigar divan far enough 

 in the rear had they given him a chance. I have known 

 some men head a fox back because they were actually 

 afraid of a run. It is quite true, although it sounds 

 strange. It is absurd to suppose that every man who 

 makes his appearance at the covert side is a sportsman. 

 Some go for one reason, some for another ; but there is 

 not one man out of twenty who either knows or cares 

 anything about the hounds or the sport. Thus a gentle- 

 man huntsman with one aim in view, to afford satisfaction 

 to all, not only finds little or no assistance from those 



