EECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE CAETER. 7 



commit to paper, and it was only on some chance 

 occasion when Mr. Assheton Smith was prevented from 

 hunting, that Carter carried the horn with either of the 

 Squire's special packs on the other days of the week. 

 Still one occasionally went to the kennels, or came 

 across the huntsman in some way or other, or it 

 might be that Mr. Smith would come out "a gentle- 

 man," as I believe he expressed it, and hand over 

 the hunting of his own pack, for the day, to 

 George Carter. 



But after a while old age began to tell on the Squire 

 of Ted worth, and though he fought against the attacks 

 of time most manfully, and was very anxious, as was 

 reported, to have it handed down to posterity that he 

 had hunted his own hounds at fourscore, for once the 

 sturdy will of Mr. Assheton Smith had to give in ; and 

 some two years previous to his death, having disposed 

 of the third pack, or rather presented them to the 

 Craven Hunt, he cut down his own days of hunting to 

 four, and gave up the horn to George Carter. 



From that time till 1865, George Carter acted 

 regularly as huntsman, and in that capacity one had 

 a better opportunity of becoming acquainted with him 

 in every part of the Ted worth country ; but still it was 

 not till a much later period, when he retired from active 

 life, that I formed what may be truly called a strong aud 



