248 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



Coleshill, then through the Ashen Copse to 

 the woods about Strattenboro' Castle, through 

 Watchfield, back to Coleshill, where he was 

 pulled down. A second fox was found in 

 Faringdon Grove. He turned out to be "an 

 old 'un " of the right sort, and he took them 

 through Wadley and Coles Pits to Balking, 

 where he beat them. 



There can be no doubt that a joint master- 

 ship must always be very inferior to a single 

 mastership. A master should be an absolute 

 autocrat, like the commander of an army. In 

 this case Mr. Starky suffered from pecuniary 

 difficulties, Mr. Atkins' state of health left 

 something, and Mr. Duffield's language left 

 much, to be desired. Some wag in the hunt- 

 ing field, alluding to the initials of the Masters' 

 names, said, "What else can you expect from 

 a 'Sad' lot".? The "mot" took and the 

 syndicate became known as the " Sad " lot for 

 ever after. The remark was, of course, made 

 in jest, and was decidedly unjust, for each of 

 the joint Masters was a thorough good sports- 

 man, and they had only undertaken the country 

 because no single Master was forthcoming. 



A Hunt Ball was held at the Corn Ex- 

 change, Faringdon, on Thursday, January 

 the 3rd, 1867, when about a hundred were 

 present. The conclusion of the season was 



