258 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



of some of the conspicuous characters of Lord Yarney's 

 hunt. 



"ATHERSTONE, Feb. 2. 



" DEAR HARGRAVE, According to promise, I report 

 progress in this country, as it is my intention to do of 

 others which I may visit, to the end that, when you are 

 able to break loose from your trammels (but mind me, 

 Hargrave, I commend you for complying with the wishes 

 of your excellent father, and confining yourself to Essex, 

 so long as he continues to express them, for he is deserv- 

 ing of everything at your hands), you may also visit such 

 as I recommend, and eschew such as are not worthy of 

 your notice. 



" In the first place, you will be greatly pleased with the 

 noble master of the pack. He has all those mild and 

 amiable features in his character and deportment which dis- 

 tinguish the English gentleman, together with as much of 

 the consciousness of superiority in society which, in courtesy, 

 we accede to the English nobleman. He is also as much 

 of a sportsman as it is necessary that a master of foxhounds 

 should be who employs an experienced huntsman ; but 

 in this respect, his brother, the parson, is allowed to stand 

 before him. As for his huntsman, I am delighted with 

 him, considering him to be everything that a huntsman 

 should be ; and when I tell you that 1000 guineas were 

 offered, the other day, for three of the horses which he 

 rides with the hounds, I will leave you to guess how he 

 is mounted. His first whipper-in, also (Harry Jackson), 

 is a very clever fellow, and by the appearance of the 

 pack, by the cover side, there must be a good man in 

 the kennel. 



" There are several very superior horsemen, as well as 

 sportsmen, members of this hunt both heavy and light 

 weights. Among the former, indeed, there is one namely, 

 Mr. Boltaby who treads hard on the heels of the extra- 

 ordinary performer I spoke of with the Warwickshire 

 hounds, inasmuch as he is always in a good place in a 

 run, although not nearly so well mounted as the hero of 

 the ' Warwickshire lads.' Among the latter is what may 

 be called a ram avis in the land. He is a tanner of hides 

 by trade, and resides in the town of Nuneaton ; and 

 neither himself nor his mare also a rara avis of her kind 

 have pretensions nearly equal to their merits. In the 

 first place, he is a very small person ; and, in the next, 



