ROWLAND HUNT AND HIS SUCCESSORS, 41 



him out. Why on earth the hounds did not bite him nobody 

 knew, for he wouldn't loose the hare and neither would the 

 hounds, so we had to pull the whole boiling up together. He 

 luckily escaped with a scratch or two, and looked very lovely 

 when he appeared looking rather as if his clothes were made of 

 damp mud. The time was 2 hours 25 minutes. An excellent 

 performance for hounds, huntsman and whips, for not only was 

 the scent execrably bad on the fallows, but the hare was one of 

 the strongest and biggest * whatever was seen,' as Mr. Jorrocks 

 would say. It was quite the finest hare Hunt ever killed." 



E. K. Douglas (the late Canon E. K. Douglas, of Cheveley, 

 Newmarket) closed the Journal Book of this good season with 

 the following remarks : 



" This ended the season of 1877, one of which the E.C.H. 

 may be justly proud and which we can hardly ever expect to be 

 equalled. No less than seventeen hares were killed and almost 

 every day we enjoyed a thoroughly good run. We cannot praise 

 too highly the exertions of Mr. Hunt, the Master, to whose 

 wonderful skill and pluck the excellent sport enjoyed throughout 

 the two seasons in which he carried the horn is entirely due. His 

 loss cannot be too deeply deplored, while the E.C.H. owe their 

 thanks to Mr. Portal for his untiring energy in the field. 



*' Owing to the exertions of Rowland Hunt the pack of 1877 

 was brought into a most efficient condition, and by judicious 

 selection and drafts the foundation of an excellent pack has been 

 made, which it will be the duty of future Masters to maintain.'^ 



One other great reform is due to Rowland Hunt. He 

 realised the necessity of increasing the subscribers, and conse- 

 quently he obtained leave for 120 instead of 70 boys to run with 

 the beagles. When this limit of 120 became obsolete I cannot 

 ascertain, but no such limit exists to-day. 



And now for Lock. Probably he was about the most 

 unconventional kennel huntsman that ever existed. He was 

 short and fat and kept a Turkish Bath in the High Street. How 

 Hunt discovered his capacities for keeping a pack of hounds is 

 a mystery . for he vv^as always to be found in his premises attired 

 in a very brief pair of scarlet bathing drawers. 



Lock was quite a character. He grew to have a wonderful 

 knowledge of the country. He seldom went out of a walk and 

 yet always seemed to find his way to the kill. When he was out 

 beagling was the only time when he doffed his bathing drawers 

 and substituted a pair of brown knickerbockers. The hounds 

 were very fond of him. According to up-to-date ideas he did 

 not do them well, but he did his best and kept hounds fairly fit 



