THE AVHIPPER-IN 85 



The first Whipper-in, it seems to be clearly established, is 

 to be an independent genius, capable of thinking and acting for 

 himself, as exemplified in the case of Will Dean and the 

 Uaventry earths. " The station of the second Whipper-in," 

 says Mr. Beckford, " may be near the huntsman, for which 

 reason any boy that can halloo and make a whip smack maj' 

 answer the purpose." 



"May be near the Huntsman," and " may answer the pur- 

 pose," writes our veteran, as though he thought an old head 

 would be better. In truth, though all men must have a 

 beginning, boy Whippers-in are generally as great nuisances 

 as boy butlers. They are like the sham " captain " the London 

 leg proposed to hold the stakes between the Yorkshire yeoman 

 and himself at Doncaster races: " If you doubt me," said the 

 leg, with great apparent hauteur, " my friend, the captain, here, 

 shall hold the money." " But whe hads captin ? " asked the 

 wily old Yorkshire tyke, with a shake of the head. "The boy 

 Whipper-in looks after the hounds, but who looks after the 

 boy ? " 



W^e once saw a fine scene between a Yorkshire scratch pack 

 Huntsman, and a newly caught yokel of a lad in top-boots, a 

 twilled jacket, and jockey cap. They had fallen out in coming 

 to cover, and the lad arrived in the sulks. Scratch packs 

 seldom tarry long at the meet, for the best of all reasons — 

 the hounds won't stay, and moving towards the cover, a cur 

 dog took fright, and went away like a fox, with all the 

 pack full cry after him. Yokel sat grinning. " Toj-n them 

 hooundes,'" roared the Huntsman. " Torn them thyscl ! " replied 

 the youth. 



That sort of work, however, will not do for our second Whip, 

 who is supposed to belong to a regular establishment. " There 

 is nothing like experience for impressing things properly on 

 people's minds," says Mr. Delme Radcliffe, "especially if the 

 consequences are disagreeable" — indeed, according to him, the 



