THE WHIPPER-IN. 473 



and characters of several very eminent huntsmen, 

 whose conduct and abilities would have done credit 

 to any other situation of life to which it might 

 have been their lot to have been called. Consider- 

 ing the responsibility of their office, the severity of 

 their work, and the risks they run, they are not 

 supposed to be too highly paid in wages, say on 

 the average dS'lOO per annum, besides their board ; 

 but, from perquisites, such as annual presents from 

 gentlemen who attend the hounds which they hunt, 

 and drafted hounds sold to other packs, they may 

 realise the like sum in addition. 



The office of whipper-in is, in our opinion, thought |; 

 more lightly of by the sporting world in general • 

 than it deserves to be ; and, as we shall show, we 

 have the great Beckford on our side. We never 

 saw a steady pack of hounds without at least one 

 good whipper-in, and we are quite sure we never 

 shall ; but we have seen many of these red-coated 

 youths who might have been better employed at 

 the plough-tail — who, like Cicero's lawyer, belonged 

 rather to the profession than the science. " If he 

 has genius," says Beckford, " he may show it in 

 various ways ; he may clap forward to any great 

 earth that may by chance be open ; he may sink 

 the wind to holloo, or mob a fox when the scent 

 fails ; he may keep him off his foil ; he may stop 

 the tail hounds, and get them forward ; and has it 

 frequently in his power to assist the hounds without 

 doing them any hurt, provided he has sense to dis- 

 tinguish where he is wanted most. Besides, the 

 most essential part of fox-hunting, the making and 



9, ^, 



