88 THE HUNTING FIELD 



Even in moving about home, exercising hounds, or looking 

 after kennel matters, they are always liable to the offer. 



The farmers, the saddlers, the blacksmiths, the bootmakers, 

 all like to give them a drop. The}' belong to a popular sport, 

 and are popular characters. We once heard an amusing story 

 of Jack Shirley going frcjni Lincolnshire to Mr. Ralph 

 Lambton's, with a draft of hounds, and what was his surprise 

 on getting into the county of Durham (where he had never 

 been before) at finding himself accosted every now and then 

 by the familiar " Jack," and asked what he would drink ? He 

 was taken for Jack Winter, Mr. Lambton's Huntsman, whom 

 he greatly resembled. 



In the matter of "drink," gentlemen are very apt to treat 

 hound servants as they treat the unfortunate sisters of the 

 pave — debauch them first, and then blame them for being what 

 they are; give them drink and then abuse them for being 

 drunk. Each man thinks what he himself gives can do no 

 harm ; but if hounds met before gentlemen's houses every day 

 they went out, it would be the ruin of half the establishments 

 going. Mr. Vyner comments severely on the vice of drunken- 

 ness, and gives the following amusing anecdote of what 

 happened with the men belonging to his pack : — 



" There can be but one opinion upon the vice of drunken- 

 ness in any man," says he, " and the second fault in either a 

 Huntsman or Whipper-in ought to be the last to be over- 

 looked. Many of my readers may, I have no doubt, have been 

 disgusted in the course of their lives by such an outrage ; but 

 to see a Whipper-in drunk on champagne would be rather a 

 novel sight. I remember once meeting at the house of a jolly 

 good foxhunter, ' of the olden time,' who shall be nameless, 

 where he had a most splendid breakfast upon the occasion ; 

 and our worthy host, not being content with giving his guests 

 plant}- of that exhilarating beverage, absolutel}- sent a bottle 



