88 THE ETON COLLEGE HUNT, 



found them. I soon learnt from Champion my first duty was 

 to visit all the farmers over whose land we hunted, some thirty 

 in all. 



'' Starting with those near home, I at once discovered a most 

 agreeable fact, for they were all so kind and generous that I 

 soon realised why it was that only 3% had any objection to us 

 restarting after the War. One day I am going to farm myself, 

 so we had a good ground for conversation that helped to break 

 the ice after an informal introduction. It was then that I got to 

 know them, and knowing them meant liking them. 



'' I cannot pay these farmers a greater tribute than to say 

 that no one of them ever showed me anything but the greatest 

 civility and kindness. Of course, some pointed out perfectly 

 legitimate annoyances, but they never showed any bitterness in 

 expressing them. It is with a certain feeling of bitterness that 

 one realises that all we give in return to these farmers, who offer 

 their crops to trample and hedges to break, is a brace of 

 pheasants and a hare if they are lucky. 



'* Of course I could fill a book with accounts of our sport that 

 winter, but I must confine myself to a few remarks. Any 

 success we had when I was Master was not due in any degree to 

 me, but to the hounds. I beheve all the joy of beagling, and its 

 value as a sport, is to watch the hounds work, and with a good 

 pack the less the Master interferes the better, and then only 

 when the hounds seem to look to him for help. Of course I am 

 prejudiced, but our pack seemed to me close on perfection by the 

 time we reached the Easter Half : steady, obedient and fast ; to 

 watch them spread like a fan at a check and then a whimper (no 

 babblers, mind !), and all the pack were away again raising their 

 enchanting song. 



*' I never wanted a show pack; what I wanted were good 

 noses, good bone, good feet. Noses they certainly had, and the way 

 the eight season bitches stayed was enough indication of bone and 

 feet. We try to keep the pack between 14^ inches and 15 J 

 inches, as this will give a pace which allows all to see a good 

 share of the run, and it also allows one to kill hares, and, since 

 all packs seemed to be judged (in my opinion quite wrongly) by 

 the number of hares they kill, it follow? you must have speed in 

 your pack. This is especially the case when hares are too 

 numerous, and unless you press your hare continually a change 

 is inevitable. 



" Before finishing I should like to add a word about the 

 rumour which at one time was rampant, that half the beaglers 

 spent their time in smoking and other divers amusements. All 



