SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 123 



best brood bitches, rather shy of tongue, and I 

 think the cross will succeed admirably/' 



Being in the habit of paying an annual visit to 

 a very old and sincere friend, residing within five 

 miles of Tedworth, a stanch supporter of Assheton 

 Smith's hunt, we had an opportunity afterwards of 

 seeing the sons and daughters of Freeman in the 

 field as well as in the kennel, and the majority 

 of them verified our prediction, turning out too 

 loquacious by half. Handsome they all were — 

 neat as new pins, especially the ladies, to each of 

 whom the couplet might be applied — 



"If to her share some trifling errors fall, 

 Look at her/orwi and you forget them all." 



Such appeared to be the Squire's opinion, and he 

 would not then admit he had committed an error 

 in judgment by breeding from a hound too free 

 with his tongue ; although some few years after, 

 when out of temper with one of Freeman's pro- 

 geny, the confession escaped his lips, " Confound 

 that Freeman ! '' The Squire of Tedworth, or, as 

 he was very appropriately called in that country 

 by the lower orders, "the hard gentleman," from 

 his hard riding and contempt of falls, was very 

 partial to our pack, and the list of his hounds, 

 published by Mr. Delme Ratcliffe in his book 

 entitled "The Noble Science," in the year 1838, 

 shows that he had in kennel at that time no less 

 than thirty-seven couples got by our hounds. Free- 

 man, it is true, was not exactly of our sort, his 

 father coming from another kennel, but he was bred 

 and educated in our own. Our sort were not remark- 



