348 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



for his fox in a manner very much to his taste. Had he, 

 indeed, ridden a little nearer to his hounds in chase, he 

 would have called him a first-rate huntsman. The next 

 pack, however, which our young sportsman went to see, 

 on his tour, were hunted by quite a first-rate huntsman, 

 and also in the character of a gentleman. We allude to 

 Mr. Musters, who at that time hunted one of the best of 

 the midland counties with very great eclat. He combined, 

 in the opinion of our hero, every possible requisite for 

 his task. He was a beautiful and bold horseman ; with 

 a voice musically melodious ; with the eye of a hawk to 

 his hounds and country, and with a sort of intuitive 

 knowledge of the usual lines in which his foxes ran, to an 

 extent not hitherto witnessed by him. And the following 

 rather curiously drawn portrait of him was given to him 

 by a friend : 



" It-is in the field that Mr. Musters shines. Birds, we 

 are told, cannot conceive with beasts, nor fish with fowl, 

 but dogs, to an extent, certainly conceive with men, 

 and some persons have a peculiar method off making 

 their wishes known to them. At the head of these is 

 Mr. Musters. In command of hounds I never saw him 

 equalled, and he certainly handles them with a master's 

 hand. Every art has its peculiar terms, and his language 

 and method in the field are most appropriate. In fact, 

 he may be said to suit the action to the word, and the 

 word to the action, with the greatest possible effect. By 

 temperament of constitution, also, he is particularly fitted 

 for a huntsman ; for, being never fatigued, he is always 

 cheery and gay. To sum up all, although a gentleman, he 

 is a huntsman. Nature qualified him for the task, and 

 without this, it is in vain to attempt it. As Ion says 



'What's the gay Dolphin when he quits the waves, 

 And bounds upon the shore ? '" 



But a singular instance of his powers over the wills and 

 affections of his hounds was related to our hero by one 

 who had long hunted with him ; and what renders the 

 circumstance still more extraordinary, is the fact that Mr. 

 Musters does not feed his own hounds in kennel, as most 

 huntsmen (servants) do. " His hounds were on their 

 road to sleep out, previously to the next day's hunting, 

 the fixture being a distant one, and he himself was like- 



