HISTORY OF THE KILDARE HUNT 



five unaccounted for. That is not a good average, 

 and I think it was a question whether the Master 

 was well served by his huntsman, Dick Lyons, who 

 came with the hounds from Baron de Robeck, only 

 stayed a season with Sir Edward, and his successor, 

 Scarth, was perhaps of less help to the Master. 

 S earth was an English yeoman in origin but came 

 to the Kildare Hunt from the Kilkenny pack. 

 He was a fine rider, and it is said was so careful of 

 his turn-out and appearance that he wore no socks 

 or stockings lest they should spoil the shape of his 

 boots. Scarth was undoubtedly a fine rider, but his 

 heart was not in hunting; he was, in fact, devoted 

 to shooting, and eventually, apparently decided to 

 follow his natural bent, for the last heard of him in 

 Kildare was that he was in Newfoundland doing 

 nothing but gratify his taste for the gun. Scarth was 

 a single man and lived in the house at Johnstown. 

 He left owing to some dissension among the 

 servants, and it is no secret that the more enthu- 

 siastic among Kildare hunting men did not greatly 

 regret his going, as his taste for another sport made 

 it impossible to do himself or the hounds justice 

 in the field. I think, therefore, that the very poor 

 proportion of foxes accounted for at this time may 

 be owing in part to the huntsman. 



The autumn of 1873 opened indifferently. Sir 

 Edward frequently records bad weather and lack of 

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