134 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



to exempt such classes as contribute otherwise to the 

 sport, such, for instance, as the chief landowners, the 

 farmers, and the regular subscribers to the Hunt. There 

 are some who think that the tradesman should also be 

 immune. I confess that the logic of this view is not 

 clear to me, for unless he subscribes I do not see why 

 he should get his hunting free any more than other 

 people. 



Capping fills its proper place in the shires, and there, 

 besides levying a small direct tax on those who hunt, 

 it has the further beneficial effect of in some way 

 lessening the immense crowds that nowadays come 

 out with the fashionable packs. In the provinces it is 

 out of place. There, every one who hunts is either a 

 farmer or a subscriber. There are very few horse- 

 breakers and no horse-dealers out with the ordinary 

 quiet packs, and the meets of a purely sporting pack 

 over a bad-scenting, non-jumping country hold out no 

 attraction to wealthy, hard-riding young men. More- 

 over, if any stranger should come down for a week or 

 fortnight and take a fancy to a few days' hunting, the 

 eagle eye of the Secretary is sure to spot him the 

 second or third day he is out. When asked such a 

 casual visitor is almost certain to respond to the appeal 

 with a small but adequate subscription. Another help 

 in the small countries is the almost invariable presence 

 of one or two very large subscribers, who, whether 

 they hunt or not, give their £ioo or their ^^150 to the 

 county pack. 



Then there is the case of the ordinary man with a 

 couple of horses or even three. He, as a rule, gives his 



