f 



220 Reminiscences of a 



dog could work his way any distance down a nine inch 

 pipe, and several times had narrow squeaks through being 

 punished severely, as he was rather too big when in the pipe 

 to have a fair chance with an old fox. I once saw him draw 

 a fox in a nine inch sanitary pipe down the Darlington road, 

 near Sedgefield ; an old big dog fox which we found in the 

 Bath plantation at Sands Hall, and he held him until the 

 hounds smashed him up. It was the cleanest draw I ever 

 saw in my life, and Chester II. was the best fox terrier in 

 this particular line that I ever saw or shall see. The old 

 dog at last got badly bitten by a rat, and his head swelled 

 up to such a size that I was obliged to put the old fellow 

 down — which went very much against the grain. We lost a 

 good bitch on the railway near Simpasture, in 1884 or 1885, 

 I cannot remember her name, though I know it began with 

 R, and that she was one of a litter of eight — all of which 

 were entered to fox, and all of which were good foxhounds. 

 I never saw a better or smarter litter ; they were by the 

 Belvoir Templar (1874) out of Rakish (1876), a smart bitch 

 by the Brocklesby Rocket. The names of the litter were 

 Ranter, Roman, Regent, Rachel, Raffle, Redrose, Ready, and 

 Ruin. Rachel was the first prize bitch of her year (1882), 

 and walked by " Charley " Robinson, of the brakes Farm, 

 Sedgefield, who thought more of her than all his worldly 

 goods ; they were all good-looking, right through the lot. 

 Templar, their sire, Mr. Ord got from the Belvoir Kennels,* 

 when he was over there one summer, and he also got little 

 Wonder (own brother to Weatherguage), who did a lot of 

 good in the kennels, though he was on the small side ; still 

 he was handsome as paint. 



* Frank Gillard was the huntsman of the Belvoir Hounds, and I take this opportunity of 

 acknowledging many good services on his part in the way of advice in the selection 

 of Sires, &c. 



