THE CURRAGHMORE HOUNDS. 79 



ride to them ! I think he had the prettiest seat on a 

 horse I ever saw. I have heard that he was very- 

 like Davis, the Royal huntsman. He never seemed in a 

 hurry; no matter what pace the hounds were goingat 

 he was always with them. He had but two touches 

 for his horn, one a long, single blast to bring them 

 to him, the other a "tot, tot, tot, a-tot-a-tot," which 

 made our hearts jump and every hound fly to him, 

 for hearing that thrilling blast made us all know a 

 fox was away. I never heard a man blow a horn 

 better than he, but it was always in its case except 

 when absolutely required. He told me a curious 

 story once, but strange as it is it is a fact. Lord 

 Henry sent a draft of hounds to a gentleman in the 

 county Clare many years ago ; they were driven in the 

 van to Fiddown station, five miles from the kennels, 

 sent by train to Limerick, and thence up the Shan- 

 non by boat, and some ten miles into the county 

 Clare, to the gentleman's residence. In ten days* 

 time one of the draft (a bitch, I forget her name) 

 arrived at the Curraghmore kennels, having found 

 her way back by herself. 



Like all old establishments of the kind, Curragh- 

 more has its many retainers in the persons of old 

 servants and workmen. Paddy and Billy Quin in 

 the stables for the last forty years ; Harney, the 

 gamekeeper, just as long ; about twenty old chaps 

 who have grown double in the service of the gardens, 

 &c. Then old Fleming, Johnny Bowers, Clancy and 

 Whittle, earth-stoppers for very many years. Then, 

 of more recent date, Ambrose Power and Frank 

 Bowers, two capital earth-warners for the Waterford and 

 Kilkenny sides. Talking of earth-stopping reminds 



