152 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



are apt to be jealous of any usurpation of their 

 authority. In the second place, it would be difficult 

 to define who is an old and respected member of the 

 Hunt in these days, when young men are invited to 

 join the Hunt Committee because they have inherited 

 a long purse. There is another objection, which I 

 once saw exemplified. An old, though not respected, 

 member of the Hunt, loudly rebuked a young sub- 

 scriber in language, such as ladies should not hear, 

 and told him to go home. Now, if there were any 

 offence it was committed by the old member, and not 

 by the young subscriber. The two men jostled one 

 another going through a hand-gate, at which the 

 younger man was the first to arrive. The result was 

 that their horses kicked. The young subscriber did 

 not reply to the irascible language of the old member, 

 but rode up to the Master, and, after briefly recount- 

 ing the circumstances, asked him if he should go 

 home. He was accompanied by another old member 

 of the Hunt, who had witnessed the incident. In this 

 case the Master poured oil upon the troubled waters, 

 and so the matter ended. But it is not fair to ask the 

 Master to adjudicate upon quarrels in the hunting-field, 

 when he has multifarious duties to perform, which he 

 owes to all his followers. 



" Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace." 



It can hardly be denied that a large proportion of 

 the modern hunting-field is to be classified under the 

 definition which Escalus, Prince of Verona, used in 

 regard to the Capulets and the Montagues. Escalus, 



