ii6 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



changing servants, exactly what the outgoing man paid 

 for the things of which he had charge. 



The Puppy Show, Walking and Breeding. — However 

 Httle the Master may Hke making speeches, it is abso- 

 lutely necessary that he should hold a puppy show. 

 He may dislike speechifying, but every one else likes it ; 

 that is the rub. There is no greater link between 

 the puppy walkers and the Hunt than to see a hound 

 recognise in the man or woman who walked him and 

 brought him up the old friend of a season or two ago. 

 This appeals forcibly to all genuine lovers of the hound, 

 and the beneficial influence of such gatherings is one 

 that the politic Master will not disregard. 



I would go even further than this. I always made a 

 point, when hounds were taken to any house where a 

 puppy had been walked, of letting the old dog or bitch 

 go up to the back door of its own accord and renew 

 acquaintance with the cook. The recognition was as 

 often as not mutual ; and the cook was flattered to see 

 that the Master appreciated her efforts, while the hound 

 plainly showed the delight it felt in seeing once more, 

 if only for a few minutes, its old quarters. I remember 

 also that the Hunt servants sneered at this as a breach of 

 discipline ; but I also remember not caring a jot for 

 their unexpressed opinion on the matter, for it seemed 

 better to give pleasure to several people and one hound 

 than to stand well with my hypercritical servants ; and 

 if there is one piece of advice that I would impress 

 most strongly on the young Master, it is that he should 

 do his utmost to please the puppy walkers. I may 

 seem to be straying from the rubric of this chapter, 



