196 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



rate of fifteen miles in the hour, and in company with 

 two distinguished sportsmen, then on a visit to the Duke, 

 and who were, do doubt, enjoying, as well as profiting by, 

 the sage and pertinent remarks of a man so eminent in 

 his way, which, although delivered with the authority of 

 a master, were given with the respect expected from a 

 servant. Nor was this all : he was amused with his 

 proceedings on his arrival. After the usual exchange of 

 greetings between himself and his hounds, which no man 

 who has a soul, or is capable of being pleased with such 

 simple exhibitions of nature, can witness without pleasure, 

 there was something quite aristocratic in the manner in 

 which he prepared himself for entering upon his office, 

 and commencing the operations of the day. The mud- 

 boots being taken off, and the dust, should there have 

 been any, wiped off his neat and well-polished boots, a 

 white cambric handkerchief was generally taken from his 

 pocket by Shaw, with which, after gently raising his cap 

 from his head, he as gently wiped his brow, returning it 

 to whence it came. Then there was something remark- 

 able too something pleasing to the ear, in the tone of 

 Shaw's voice, and especially so when uttering the words 

 " your Grace," which, of course, were invariably appended 

 to his answers to his noble master. Again, there was an 

 air about him even in mounting his hunter, and trotting 

 away with the hounds towards the cover, at the signal 

 given to him by the Duke, which forcibly struck Frank 

 Raby as something out of the common way. The signal 

 was silently but gracefully acknowledged by a gentle 

 raising of the cap, and he may be said to have thrown his 

 hounds into cover with much grace. As for his horse- 

 manship, it was elegant, and so thought our hero. 



But our hero's opinion of the hounds shall appear in a 

 letter he wrote to his friend Lord Dauntley, after hunting 

 with Lord Lonsdale's hounds on the following day, and 

 once more with Lord Sefton's. 



" MELTON, Feb. 6, 1802. 



" DEAR DAUNTLEY, As we shall meet so soon, I 

 shall only now tell you that I have been out with the 

 three packs, and am delighted with all I have seen. I 

 could not have believed, had I not witnessed it, that any 

 part of England could be so favourable, both for hounds 

 and those who ride to them, as that which I have lately 



