210 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



any conception of ; and if the farmer is a true Briton 

 he would be sorry to see them second (if they were 

 miHtary or naval men) ; if not officers, then, by 

 opposition, you do all you can to prevent gentlemen 

 from living in this country, and you would by so 

 doing have all the large houses vacant ; the con- 

 sequence of which would be, you would only get 

 half-price for your poultry and eggs and butter, 

 independent of its keeping up the price of hay and 

 oats. For instance, by your selUng a load of hay to 

 a gentleman for probably a greater price than the 

 postmasters would give you, this is made a handle 

 of at market ; thus, on an offer being made, you say, 

 " No, I wont sell for less than such a man sold for " ; 

 and so with the price of oats (which every fox-hunter 

 should purchase of the farmers who hve in the hunt, 

 if they really do wish well to sport. It gives them 

 an interest in the success of the pack, and they feel 

 themselves flattered by being noticed, to which they 

 certainly have a claim). 



Any farmers hostile to fox-hunting should take 

 the trouble of considering the benefit a pack of fox- 

 hounds is to a country, and calculate the consump- 

 tion alone of corn and hay which is caused by it. 

 Supposing, for instance, two hundi-ed horses, — and in 

 few countries, if any, less than that are kept, includ- 



