THE HUXTSxMAN 41 



Dick Forster, Mr. Villebois's old Huntsman, reckoned 

 the best woodland one of the day ; or Oldacre, with 

 the Berkeley ; or Lambert, with Lord Lonsdale : or 

 old Tom Leedham, with Mr. Meynell, or Mr. Meynell 

 Ingram, as he is now called ; and doubtless many 

 others, whose names do not occur at this moment to 

 our recollection ? 



Some of the best men of recent times are on the 

 wrong side of fifty — Goosey, Sebright, Shirley, 

 Williamson, Walker, Burton, and, if we mistake not, 

 Will Long. Davis, too, the Queen's huntsman, is 

 advancing, and Tom Hill must be getting on, both 

 in beef and age, but no one can do the trick like 

 Tom on the Surrey hills. He ought to be called 

 Lord Hill. 



Mr. Smith, late Master of the Pytchley and Craven 

 Hunts, thus sums up his list of requisites for a 

 Huntsman in his "Diary of a Huntsman." "To be 

 perfect," says he, " a Huntsman should possess the 

 following qualifications : — Health, memory, decision, 

 temper and patience, voice and sight, courage and 

 spirits, perseverance, activity ; and with these he 

 will soon make a bad pack a good one. If quick, 

 he will make a slow pack quick ; if slow, he will make 

 a quick pack slow." 



The following capital advice cannot perhaps be 

 more seasonably introduced than at the present 

 moment : — 



" But first, to become a good one he must have 

 a fair chance," says Mr. Smith, "and should not be 

 interfered with by any one after he leaves the place 

 of meeting ; previous to which, on all occasions, it 

 would be best if the Master of hounds was to arrange 

 with him which covers should be drawn first, etc. It 

 rarely happens that two men think exactly alike, and 

 unless he is capable of judging for himself after the 

 above arrangement (which had much better be done 

 over night) the Master is to blame in keeping him ; but 



