350 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



miles, in various directions ; and being the property of 

 a noble Duke, himself a master of foxhounds, are never 

 short of foxes. He was fortunate in seeing a fox made to 

 break from them by the surprising energies of Mr. Musters, 

 and, after facing the open country, being up at his death, 

 at the distance of twelve miles, as the crow flies. 



Moving on, in his tour, our hero visited the Hertford- 

 shire hounds, then the Hampshire, and afterwards the 

 Vine, with each of which he saw some really good sports- 

 men, from several of whom he gathered golden opinions, 

 which served his purposes through life. The scene of 

 action with each of these packs lying in what may be 

 called very unfavourable ground for hounds, was his chief 

 motive for visiting them, forasmuch as it is in the over- 

 coming of difficulties that talent most strikingly displays 

 itself. He witnessed much science in all that related to 

 the Hertfordshire, their huntsman being a first-rate per- 

 former, assisted by as clever a whipper-in as ever rated 

 a hound ; and in the "Hampshire" pack, from Alpha to 

 Omega, all appeared to him to be perfect. In fact, he 

 found, as a friend of his told him he would find, a pro- 

 priety attending that establishment, as well as correctness 

 of conduct in everything relating to it, which are highly 

 gratifying to a sportsman's eye, and which cannot be too 

 closely imitated. The civility and respectful behaviour 

 of the servants were beyond all praise ; and whether by 

 command of their master, or from their own sense of 

 propriety, it was not in his power to determine, but an 

 oath, or a coarse expression of any sort, was never heard 

 to escape them under the most trying circumstances that 

 occurred. It showed that fox-hunting was about to be 

 purged of the only stain that was then attached to it, 

 namely, being the scene of wanton disregard of the usual 

 decorum of society. 



Of the Vine hounds he thus wrote to his intimate friend 

 and brother sportsman, Hargrave : 



" I am now hunting with a pack called the Vine, so 

 called because such is the name of their owner's house, 

 he representing the county in Parliament. He has the 

 appearance of anything rather than a master of fox- 

 hounds, streaming across the country with a long pig- 

 tail down his back, but he is very popular with all 

 descriptions of persons. But it is of his hounds that I 

 wish to speak. They are very small the smallest I ever 



