30 THE ETON COLLEGE HUNT, 



lively recollection of the lunch — a spread which made more than 

 one of us feel, when we found our afternoon hare, that there 

 were occasions when the saying ' Fox hunting on foot is but 

 labour in vain,' applied also to hare hunting ! 



" The pack in my day was like the old-fashioned ' trencher- 

 fed • hunts — ^the members bringing up in beagle term a hound 

 if they had one, the contribution of a hound taking the place 

 of the one pound subscription. It was wonderful (or so we keen 

 ones thought) the sport such a scratch pack showed. 



'* One day is impressed on my memory (in Fenwick's master- 

 ship, I think), when we ' burst up ' three hares ! The meet, I 

 think, was Dorney Gate. I forget how two were killed, but the 

 third swam the river near Athens, waited for us on the further 

 bank, and was killed on Windsor racecourse. 



'' Another little incident. Meeting at the kennels we ran a 

 hare into Datchet Vicarage garden and were gratified to see the 

 Vicar come out of his house, hatless, to join (as we thought) in 

 the chase. But no ! his ill-directed energy was against the chase, 

 which he forcibly reminded us was a trespass ! 



'' The ' hunt servants ' wore no sort of uniforms — merely 

 change coat, knickers and stockings, with House-colour cap and 

 * muffler.' A little latitude was allowed them as regards lock-up. 

 Just as well ! For I remember one day a hare took us nearly to 

 West Drayton ! 



'' Of the first flight in my day no one could come up to 

 C. E. Munro Edwards. I do not think he ever held office, 

 though he afterwards became, with F. Selater, the founder of, 

 and whips to, the Christ Church Beagles, with which I, an 

 outsider (of Magdalen), had the special privilege of running. 

 His wind was simply inexhaustible ! 



" Speaking of this reminds me of an incident which has 

 nothing to do with E.C.H. beyond the fact that the actors in it 

 were the two whips. My brother and Billy Harford by some 

 means got out of 11 o'clock school in time to meet the Queen's 

 staghounds on their opening meet at Salt Hill. The stag ' took 

 soil ' in that pool close to the line, near the present Burnham 

 Beeches station. The two lads manned a boat which they found 

 near the cottage and succeeded in ousting the stag. The Press 

 next day, alluding to the incident, remarked that ' the two young 

 Etonians appeared quite in their element.' Rather amusing, as 

 they were both inveterate dry-bobs and probably never entered 

 another boat during their time at Eton ! 



" The largest number of hares killed in one season was by 

 F. Johnstone in 1869. The pack was still rather a scratch one, 



