HOUNDS" OF SORTS " 31 



Feversham came gaily cantering up, attended by his 

 hopeful heir-apparent, Lord Helmsley, with two men 

 who might have been second horsemen but were really 

 destined for much heavier work. 



Everyone tried to look as if they had not been 

 inwardly cursing his Lordship for more than an hour, 

 and he, after a casual remark that he feared he was 

 rather late, seemed to think no more about it. 



A strange pack did the Sinnington appear in those 

 days to anyone who scanned them as I did ; very 

 irregular were they, strange in colour, running most, 

 however, to the light mealy shades such as you see 

 little of in fashionable packs, though to my mind usually 

 associated with sterling qualifications. Some there 

 were throaty in the extreme and " dew-lapped like 

 Thessalian bulls," others clean-cut and light-timbered. 

 One a York and Ainsty hound ran mute, and had 

 been drafted for that reason ; but he ran to such purpose 

 that he always far outstripped the rest and had been 

 known to kill single-handed. There had been many 

 doubts as to how to deal with this hound ; but his nose 

 was so undeniably good that he was of great service 

 at times, and, in his case, Mr Jorrocks' advice was taken 

 " Be to his faults a little blind." 



Someone at length happily suggested that he should 

 be weighted so as to reduce his pace, and this was 

 carried out at last with such nicety that he was ad- 

 justed by sundry bags of shot attached to his neck 

 exactly to required speed. It then became necessary 

 only to give him a voice, but no scheme was devised 

 to perfect him in that particular. 



Whatever the appearance of those hounds was, they 

 certainly were most undeniable for their stoutness and 



