1 86 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



being Rural Dean, who was bought by the Prince of 

 Wales and was considered by the Prince to be the best 

 all-round horse that he ever possessed. Mr. Rarey, 

 when in search of savages, afterwards bought King of 

 Oude, and took him to America, though Mr. Lynes had 

 a standing offer of 200 guineas for every colt or filly 

 by King of Oude out of Rural Dean's dam. I should 

 add that Mr. Lynes subsequently migrated to Virginia, 

 not far from Charlottesville, a country which he 

 considered wonderfully well adapted for breeding blood 

 stock. 



" The Druid" was only permanently engaged on the 

 staff of four papers, viz., the Doncaster Gazette, Bell's 

 Life, the Mark Lane Express, and the Sporting Life, 

 though he was a regular contributor to many others, 

 notably the Sporting Magazine and the Daily News. 

 Yet, in spite of his numerous contributions to sporting 

 literature, his income never averaged more than ;^6oo 

 per annum. No writer could have performed his work 

 more conscientiously. So delicate was his sense of 

 honour that when he went down to a stud farm to 

 describe a yearling sale, he would not even accept 

 luncheon from the owner of the place, lest he might be 

 suspected of being biased. He made Mr. Rarey's 

 fortune, but, when the latter made a complimentary 

 present to Mrs. Dixon, he indignantly demanded her to 

 return it. As a rule, he never betted. His knowledge 

 of the Turf was gained by an occasional stroll on to a 

 racecourse on a crack afternoon, through the boxes at 

 Tattersall's, or among the paddocks of a stud farm. 

 Yet, in regard to accuracy, his descriptions have never 



