CHAPTER V 



CRITICISMS OF HIS FOLLOWERS 



Modern subscription packs— Hunt clubs — The Master's 

 duties and liabilities — Keeping the field in order — Alleged 

 extravagance — Pageantry of the hunting-field — The 

 crowd — The perfect Master of Hounds — ^Men who have 

 approached the ideal — Complaints against the crowd — 

 "Marmaduke" on "rebellious subjects" — Local scribes 

 — Lord Lonsdale's plan of helping the farmers — Support- 

 ing local newspapers— Second horsemen — "The Druid" 

 — Nimrod — Surtees and hunting correspondents — The 

 Master and the entry — Famous kennel huntsmen as 

 judges of hounds — Masters who hunt their own hounds 

 — Mr. Rawdon Lee on the modern foxhound — Ladies 

 walking puppies — Other views on puppy-walking — 

 " Scrutator "—Mr. Otho Paget 



The Master of Hounds is the sporting Prime Minister 

 of the country which he hunts. In most hunting 

 countries, his social position is second only to that of 

 the Lord Lieutenant of the county. In the hunting- 

 field he is an absolute autocrat, subject only to the 

 wishes of the covert owners. So long as he is in 

 authority we are bound to obey him. In the case of a 

 subscription pack, we can depose him, or request him 

 to resign, if we are discontented with his methods of 

 providing us with the sport for which we have sub- 

 scribed. We must, however, exercise extreme caution 



