192 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



half the expense formerly incurred. In transactions 

 of this kind (we do not mean railway shares, but 

 kennel shares) one master or huntsman places 

 himself quite at the mercy of the other ; but as 

 there is said to be honour amongst thieves, we are 

 quite sure of fair treatment from professors of the 

 noble science, whether masters or men, and our 

 practice was to leave it in the hands of the hunts- 

 man to cater for us in the best way he could. It 

 often happens in first-rate kennels that the seraglio 

 is usually filled, at certain periods of the year, by 

 ladies from other establishments courting the favour 

 of Sultan, the best stud-hound in the pack. Under 

 such circumstances, the wishes of all masters cannot 

 be gratified. There may be, however, a brother or 

 brothers of Sultan, not perhaps quite so celebrated 

 or so clever ; but, being of the same blood, perhaps 

 it would be better to avail yourself of their 

 services than be quite disappointed in your mission. 

 Knowing that such untoward events would some- 

 times occur, we generally provided for them by 

 writing the huntsman a full description of the 

 characters of the ladies sent to his kennel, re- 

 questing, if the hound we had selected was pre- 

 viously engaged, to give us the benefit of his 

 judgment, by using any other he could recommend. 

 Another course has also been adopted by masters 

 of foxhounds to obviate this inconvenience, in 

 lending or exchanging favourite stud-hounds for the 

 season — far more satisfactory, since they have by 

 these means the opportunity of judging by ocular 

 demonstration the true characters and working 



