2s6 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT. 



thorough knowledge of what they were doint^r, and as keen 

 as Will Danby himself. Indeed, he would not have been 

 so long- with Mr. Conyers unless he had been, for keenness 

 was a sine qua non with that enthusiast. 



As an instance of Mr. Conyer's keenness I may perhaps 

 be pardoned for quoting- the following anecdote from 

 Mr. Tresham Gilbey's interesting History of the Essex 

 Hunt. It was during Mr. Conyer's last illness, and Will 

 went to his bedside on his return from hunting to give an 

 account of the day's sport. One evening, when Mr. Conyers 

 was failing fast, Orvis related how, after a remarkable run, 

 the fox had entered the covert of Canfield Hart with hounds 

 close at his brush, and not a hound could own the line 

 afterwards. Mr. Conyers had listened with much attention 

 and in silence, and when Will came to this part of his 

 narrative, said, ' Will, why didn't you hold them on to 

 Canfield Thrift ? ' A man who served under such a Master 

 could scarcely fail to be keen. 



Peter Collison succeeded to the post of huntsman, coming 

 with a high reputation from the Cheshire. Collison's career 

 was a unique one, and it is seldom a hunt servant has so 

 few places. His father was a publican at Dalkeith, but 

 hounds were his only thought, and he was lucky enough 

 to attract the attention of Mr. Williamson, the Duke of 

 Buccleuch's huntsman, and under this famous sportsman he 

 made his start in life. After spending some time at 

 St. Boswells he went to the North Warwickshire, whence 

 he proceeded to the Bicester. After a season or two there 

 he returned to the Duke of Buccleuch's, where he was for 

 some seasons first whipper-in. His first huntsman's place 

 was with the Cheshire, where he did very well, winning 

 golden opinions ; but he did not do so well in the York and 

 Ainsty country, and after three seasons he retired altogether. 

 Tom Squires was the next huntsman, but he carried the 



