First Whipper-in. 129 



never cracked a whip again when he came out with us. 

 " It was a very good and fair plant." 



It was during the cub-hunting season of 1874, that one 

 night when we were sitting in the Black Lion, Sedgefield, 

 Mr. Tom Hopps of Stillington (who still farms there), was 

 telling the company present that Mr. Cradock's hounds had 

 killed three cubs in three mornings. Says I, " That 's 

 nothing, we can kill more than that ! " Mr. Hopps took me 

 up at once, and bet me a new hat and five shillings that 

 we wouldn't kill that number in the next three days' cub- 

 hunting. Well, we had no kills the first two days, and on 

 the last day I was getting desperate ; we had met at Foxton 

 and as I was trotting along on StiUington moors, I noticed 

 an old scrub-bush all scratched round, so had a careful look 

 at it, when I observed an old fox caught in a " hang." I 

 gets off and takes him out. We 'd been hunting about six 

 weeks, and hounds were just getting to know my voice ; I 

 holloaed twice, sharp, and a few couples came straight to 

 me, and we worried him in a bit of long grass. Up comes 

 Mr. Harvey, that pleased that we 'd got a kill, and Claxon 

 goes through the ceremony of throwing him up, but hounds 

 wouldn't eat him ! Claxon said it was a curious thing as \ 

 the fox was quite clean, and I chimed in, " they will do it 

 sometimes, even when they 're very hungry." At that 

 moment another fox was holloaed away, and I just hung the 

 remains on a bush, when I spotted a hare in another " hang." 

 There was nothing but "hangs" all over StiUington moors 

 then. I hides that hare, thinking he might come in useful 

 again, and put him into my pocket on my way home; we 

 didn't kill another fox or cub, they being not at all numerous 

 just then, and I lost my bet and so went to Mr. Fletcher's 

 and bought Mr. Hopps a new hat! I have never "let on" 



