17«1] THE BR0CKLE8BY HUNTSMEN. 19 



The Second Tom Smith. 



"Yoimof" Tom succeeded liis father in 1761, and lie 

 <3arried the Brocklesby horn until 1816, having been 

 whipper-in and huntsman for fifty-nine years, when both 

 Master and huntsman retired together in favour of their 

 eldest sons.* As a token of the esteem in which he was 

 held by his Master, he was granted full pay for life, and 

 was also presented with a handsome silver cup, which 

 was handed to him by Master C. A. Pelham, the retiring- 

 Master's grandson, and the grandfather of the present earl. 

 On the cup was the following inscription — " The gift of 

 Lord Yarborough to his huntsman, Mr. Thomas Smith, 

 after having been more than fifty years in his service, 

 made as an acknowledgment of the indefatigable and 

 unremitting attention to the business of his vocation, 

 which may be recommended for a pattern to those who 

 succeed him, and can never be surpassed, 1816." On the 

 reverse side are the following lines from Somerville's 

 ^' Chase "— 



"With silent lead thy many coloured hounds, 

 In all their beauty's pride. See how they range ! 

 Dispers'd how busily, this way and that, 

 They cross, examining with curious nose 

 Each likely haunt. Let all be hush'd, 

 No clamour loud, no frantic joy be heard ; 

 Lest the wild hound run gadding o'er the plain 

 Untractable, nor hear thy chiding voice." 



The second Tom Smith was a fine horseman and a 

 great huntsman, but the breeding of hounds was his par- 

 ticular hobby, and during his tenure of ofiice at Brocklesby 

 the pack secured a reputation second to none in the 

 kingdom. Most of the great hound-men of the day went 

 to Brocklesby for crosses of this, by now, famous blood, 



* He was only fourteen years of age when he began to whip-in to his father, 

 and was hard to beat over a country at the age of seventy-two. 



