CHAPTER II 



THE DISGUISED FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF 

 HUNTING 



Personality of the Master — Hunting scandal — Alfred 

 Earp's account of Tom Firr — Interference in the field — 

 Grievances of small farmers — Their ancient rights — Lord 

 Ribblesdale on the wire trouble — Why te- Melville on the 

 same — Wire in New South Wales 



It often happens that the people whom we consider to 

 be our best friends are our worst enemies, and that the 

 people whom we had always regarded as our worst 

 enemies were in reality our best friends. Especially 

 is this the case in the hunting world. A Master of 

 Hounds, unless he possesses superhuman intelligence, 

 cannot distinguish between his staunch supporters and 

 " the snakes in the grass," who pretend to be friendly 

 towards hunting. I have been told that in many 

 instances this secret hostility to hunting has been 

 caused by the indiscreet conduct of the Master of 

 Hounds, who has failed to recognise the important 

 social position of the large covert-owners. Admitting 

 my information to be true, surely the secret hostility 

 would be against the Master of Hounds and not against 

 the sport 1 I cannot imagine that any one of the large 

 covert-owners who have preserved foxes for us, and 



