ROWLAND HUNT AND HIS SUCCESSORS. ^i 



middle of March. It was a long day with Mr. Vidal, and I had 

 to go over on Sunday and apologise to the old boy and he 

 became friendly, but I missed Chapel and had to square the 

 Praepostor — wasn't that the name of the cove who marked you 

 in or out ? I think we used to reckon that we went to the meet 

 at about seven miles an hour. May I venture to express the 

 opinion that hunting the hare on foot with 15-inch beagles is 

 real hunting, and real sport, and that the hare has a very good 

 chance of escaping, especially after Christmas? As I dare say 

 you know, a hare is a much more tricky animal to hunt than a 

 fox." 



Hunt's personality was amazing. He had a way which 

 carried all before it. He was versatile, and, as well as being 

 a wonderful runner, he was an excellent shot, a fearless rider 

 and a good fisherman. He was, moreover, a keen politician, 

 even while at Eton, and has only just given up taking an active 

 share in the politics of the country. 



Hunt was a good rider and used to hunt the Wheatland 

 hounds on Arab horses. Some one remarked that *' to see him 

 charging great hairy fences was a sight for the gods! " 



At Cambridge one day he saw a mounted farmer. '* Hi, you 

 elderly, yellow-bellied oyster," shouted he, '' have you seen our 

 hare? " Naturally the farmer was offended, but Hunt smoothed 

 over the difficulty and explained it away by saying that it wav 

 one of his most endearing epithets. 



And now after not having hunted for some twenty years, he 

 has again taken on the Mastership of the Wheatland hounds. He 

 hunts them himself with two amateur whippers-in. 



Hunt was a wonderful runner at Eton. In 1876 he won the 

 Steeplechase with consummate ease, after having lost a shoe early 

 in the race. There was a rule in those days that no one who 

 had previously won a race was allowed to enter for that race aiext 

 year. Hunt in 1877 started for the Steeplechase in full school 

 dress and finished an easy first, clearing the School Jump at the 

 finish so as not to wet his clothes. 



He was slovenly as to his dress, and several stories are told 

 of his appearance. Once he appeared on parade in beagling 

 shoes which he bought from Gane's in the High Street and wore 

 on every possible occasion. He always ran with his shirt hanging- 

 out behind, at least his shirt always came out when he ran. He 

 did not care a button what he wore; his clothes were bought 

 merely with a view to respectability and not to smartness. His 

 language was his own ; he had a knack of coming out with peculiar 

 expressions, and yet his personality was delightful. In some 



