CHIEFLY HISTORICAL 15 



their game, at least if the day be long enough ; but 

 you know the days are short in winter, and it is bad 

 hunting in the dark ; the other, on the contrary, fling 

 and dash and are all alive, but every cold blast affects 

 them ; and if your country be wet and damp, it is not 

 impossible that some of them may be drowned. My 

 hounds were a cross of both these kinds, in which it 

 was my endeavour to get as much bone and strength 

 in as small compass as possible. It was a difficult 

 undertaking. I bred many years, and an infinity of 

 hounds, before I could get what I wanted ; I at last 

 had the pleasure to see them very handsome ; small 

 yet bony ; they ran remarkably well together ; ran 

 fast enough ; had all the alacrity that you could 

 desire ; and would hunt the coldest scent. When 

 they were thus perfect, I did as many others do — I 

 parted with them." 



Beckford is always amusing. Many of his anec- 

 dotes, with which the book abounds, are first rate. 

 He describes, comically enough, the procuring of some 

 beagles — no doubt " the little beagles " already spoken 

 of — from the North of England. 



" Having heard of a small pack of beagles to be 

 disposed of in Derbyshire," he says, " I sent my 

 coachman (the person whom I could at that time 

 best spare to fetch them). It was a long journey, 

 and not having been used to hounds, he had some 

 trouble in getting them along ; besides which, as 

 ill-luck would have it, they had not been out of the 

 kennel for many weeks before, and were so riotous, 

 that they ran after every thing they saw ; sheep, cur- 

 dogs, and birds of all sorts, as well as hares and deer, 

 I found, had been his amusement all the way along. 

 However, he lost but one hound, and when I asked 

 him what he thought of them, he said, ' they could 



