First Whipper-in. 2,, 



horse, a brown weight-carrying hunter, which I beheve he 

 afterwards sold to Sir William Eden; he also had a bay 

 mare, a very good huntress once, on which he used to see 

 a lot of sport, as he took his falls (when he got them) like 

 a man, and got up again as well as he could with a cheer- 

 ful smile on his countenance to join, if possible, the front 

 rank; I am very glad that his gameness is inherited by his 

 sons, more than one of whom has distinguished himself 

 when fighting for his country, and I have no doubt but that 

 they are all made of the good staying material, or stuff, 

 that fox-hunters invariably are. But I haven't quite finished 

 yet the hst of good puppy walkers, for there was Mr. Hird 

 of Brierton, a good all-round sporting farmer, not often in 

 the saddle, but keeping a good eye over his coverts, and 

 never so pleased as when he saw a fox break away. This 

 was in the early seventies, for the family gave up farming 

 and cart-horse breeding long ago; and his son James has 

 been farm-bailiff at Sands Hall for the last twenty years 

 and is greatly respected by his brother agriculturalists. 

 Another son, Anthony, was a great pal of " Clarkie " 

 Nesom's, and a lively pair they were twenty years or more 

 ago; they would often be seen at the meets of the hounds, 

 but were always thirsty before hounds threw off, and this 

 caused them to lose many a run. 



A rare man to talk was Henry Callender of Bishopton 

 upon sport and topics of any kind ; and he would beckon any 

 sportsman, passing his house in hunting costume, to come 

 in and join him in a glass; as indeed did most of the 

 South Durham farmers,! who are nothing if they are not 



t " Their daughters are pretty, 



Their wives are all charmers ; 

 A grand sporting lot, 



The South Durham farmers ! ' 



