118 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



send her to him the next morning. He thought I was 

 joking, at first, and would scarcely believe that, with a 

 single greyhound, assisted only by a foxhound, I could 

 have mastered one of their famous Down hares. Deputy's 

 schooling was not improved by this outbreak, and I had 

 some trouble afterwards in breaking him from hare, but 

 in the second season he became quite steady to his own 

 game, and was my right hand for several seasons after- 

 wards. With the scratch pack I had then got together, 

 he was my chief authority for a fox, and the moment his 

 tongue was heard, the other hounds would instantly fly 

 to him. To those who have never had the 'pleasure of 

 forming a pack from the heterogeneous elements, in the 

 shape of hounds drafted from other kennels, the comfort 

 of having one really good and active dog to depend upon, 

 can scarcely be appreciated ; but this hound was truly 

 my Deputy in every sense of the word, and I could not 

 have deputed my authority to abler hands. 



This hound, so long a favourite, never quitted my 

 kennels ; and I must here plead guilty to an impeach- 

 ment which has often been laid to my charge, of being 

 over soft (as my friends used to term it) towards animals 

 in my possession. I never parted with an old favourite, 

 whether horse or hound ; many of the latter, when worn 

 out by hard service, were continually about the premises. 

 They had a warm house to go into at night, nText the 

 boiling house, and plenty to eat, and I have no doubt 

 tliey enjoyed their " otium cum dignitate' as much as 

 any old pensioners in Greenwich Hospital. With good 

 living and no work, they certainly did become most ex- 

 traordinary looking figures, very much resembling alder- 

 men in appearance, and their very looks gave a flat 



