THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 263 



Adderley, who is one of the breed of English country 

 gentlemen of the old school most polite, most unaffacted, 

 most modest, most humane, perhaps, of his order ; but 

 the most unlikely person to be at the head of a pack of 

 foxhounds that England or any other country can produce. 

 By-the-bye, I will tell you no bad anecdote respecting 

 him, which I had from his own lips. Being in want of a 

 huntsman, one of the most celebrated of the present day 

 happening at that time to be out of place, offered his 

 services, and was engaged. He arrived on a Saturday 

 night on his hack, with a small pair of saddle-bags under 

 him, leaving his luggage to follow him per coach. The 

 following morning he was desired to feed his hounds at 

 nine o'clock, as Mr. Adderley required that all his servants 

 should attend both morning and evening church. The 

 huntsman obeyed orders to the very letter, and behaved 

 remarkably well in church. At nine o'clock at night the 

 bell rang for family prayers, at which Mr. Shaw (for 

 such was his name) conducted himself with becoming 

 reverence. But when Monday morning arrived, where 

 was Mr. Shaw ? He was not to be found, having put 

 his saddle-bags under him, on his hack, and trotted 

 quietly off leaving word that 'he thought he was 

 hired to hunt a pack of foxhounds, but finding that 

 his chief occupation was to pray, he begged to resign his 

 situation to one who was better qualified for the office 

 than himself.' 



" I must now conclude. These long letters will make 

 you imagine, with Mr. Shaw, that my chief occupation is 

 not hunting, but writing ; I, therefore, bid you, for the 

 present, adieu. 



" FRANCIS RABY." 



CHAPTER XV 



The death of Mr. Beaumont Raby, and the installation of the hero 

 into a regular sporting establishment, the details of which are 

 given at some length. 



OX the day following the date of this epistle, our hero 

 received a letter from his father, informing him of the 

 dangerous situation in which his uncle's life was placed, 



