COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 257 



all his porters, he gave the word, " Now, lads, 

 shoulder high". Up went box and hounds, and 

 were carried down the line and round into the other 

 station, and placed safely in the van. Arriving at 

 Redcar, they were wheeled to the loose-box where 

 they were to live, and then walked out on the sands 

 on the seashore. Thus we succeeded in avoiding 

 the dust of the railway. Next morning we were 

 out at six o'clock, let them have a long run on the 

 sands, and had them as fresh and light as if they 

 were to go out hunting. 



The show is thus described in the Field: 

 " Forth came the Durham lot of three couple, use- 

 ful but small, and not quite coming up to the standard 

 of merit. Next on the catalogue were the Fife ; but 

 on the principle, I suppose, that the first shall be last, 

 and the last first, they were passed over, and did not 

 show till all their competitors had been out. When 

 they did leave their benches, the expression of de- 

 light on the countenance of the Lord Chief-Justice 

 (Captain Percy Williams) made some of the ladies 

 even leave their chairs to take a nearer view, while 

 all the male sex were on the qui vive, whether they 

 knew a hound from a pointer or not. A more 

 blood-looking lot, or one with more quality, we 

 certainly never saw ; but even for bitches they were 

 too light of bone for the general taste, and far too 

 shallow in their back ribs. They are evidently as 

 quick as lightning, and look like accounting for 

 almost every fox, while their shoulders are perfect ; 



but for breeding purposes they want that essential 

 VOL. i. 17 



