VERY EARLY HUNTING DAYS 13 



he had fired he used to remark with dignity that 

 they were gone with the legs hangin'. 



The number of ancient men who came paddling 

 into the yard at eight o'clock might have made 

 Lloyd George think twice of old age pensions. 

 My father never sent them away until, as the 

 steward said, " they had no breath to come to 

 work agin, bein' dead." 



The present day labourer would have a fit if he 

 saw that old wages book. I have it still. One 

 shilhng a day and no house, to the ordinary men, 

 five shilhngs a week if they had a house. And the 

 herd had only four shilhngs a week, but he had 

 a house and potato ground and grass for a cow. 



They wore corduroys then, one suit seeing them 

 through a lifetime, and the women were bare- 

 headed or with shawls, but I don't think they 

 ever wanted. They were a splendid sturdy race, 

 and consumption was but httle known. Butter- 

 milk and potatoes, with a piece of " mate " (bacon) 

 on Sundays contented them, and the " mate " 

 was not American. 



This marked the end of good hunting in Limerick 

 for some time, and I have no idea of how many 

 thousands a year taken out of the country, for 

 Mr. Gubbins sold all his horses and left Bruree. 



I never really hunted with him, so he cannot 

 come under the heading of Masters I have known, 

 but I beheve he was absolutely fearless and a 

 very fine huntsman. 



