434 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



Interrogating him on his fox-hunting proclivities, 

 John rejoined 



"I have been fond of hunting all my life. 

 You would see my old hunter on the Moor. He 

 was given to me by Mr. Robertson Gladstone. 

 Sometimes I have one hunter, and sometimes 

 two. Yes, I've been in a few good runs in my 

 time with the Bedale and the Holderness. Every 

 year I go down with the Holderness for a fort- 

 night. Many changes of masters have occurred 

 since first I began. At the outset of my hunting 

 the late Mr. Mark Milbanke was Master of the 

 Bedale ; he was quite an old gentleman when he 

 gave up the hounds. I did not ride to hounds 

 until after I came from school, and then for a 

 long time saw little of it, as my father gave us 

 all something else to do at Ashgill. The first fox 

 I saw broken up was in '42, and I never fairly 

 hunted till about '49. After Mr. Mark Milbanke 

 gave up the Bedale he was succeeded by the 

 Hon. W. E. Buncombe, who, if I am not mis- 

 taken, was followed by the late Mr. John Booth. 

 Major Dent succeeded Mr. Booth, and he became 

 Master again. Mr. G. W. Elliot (afterwards 

 Sir George Elliot) had office before Captain 

 Wilson Todd, who gave up the Mastership in 

 the spring of '96 to Major Dent. I have hunted 

 with the Holderness under three Masters. 



' The worst fall I ever had in the hunting 

 field was last year (1896), when riding a friend's 

 horse. He fell and came over on to me, and lay 

 there with me under until they pulled him off. 

 It was some time before I shook the effects of 

 it off. I have never during the whole of my life 



