FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF HUNTING 27 



whose fathers and grandfathers have preserved foxes 

 for us, would renounce his love of hunting for the sake 

 of some personal dislike. He may use his influence in 

 order to force the Master to resign. In the heat of the 

 moment he may even threaten that he would not allow 

 hounds to draw his coverts, though his listeners know 

 that he would never carry his threat into execution. 

 It sometimes happens, however, that one of his listeners 

 is "a. snake in the grass," and the threat is noised 

 abroad. "They say that the Squire won't allow hounds 

 to draw his coverts." The report spreads from the 

 county club to the village alehouse, and is magnified 

 by the literary opponents of hunting in the local press 

 into the bald statement that the Squire is adverse to 

 the sport. In such an instance the disguised enemy of 

 hunting is the gossiping Paul Pry, who first circulated 

 the report. 



On one occasion I was the witness of the start of an 

 unpleasant occurrence of this character. There had 

 been a difference of opinion between the Master and a 

 covert-owner in the hunting-field, and strong language 

 had been used on both sides. It is unnecessary to 

 relate the merits or demerits of the dispute, which was 

 amicably settled within a week, so far as the principal 

 parties were concerned. But, unfortunately, before the 

 settlement of the dispute, the covert-owner had said at 

 a dinner-party at his own house that he would not allow 

 the Master to draw his coverts until he had apologised. 

 This statement was made before a private circle of 

 supposed friends over the mahogany after dinner ; yet 

 within a few days it was the public property of the 



