SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 107 



praise of such huntsmen to whom we render the 

 honour due to them, we must, however, admit that 

 their number is comparatively small, and as a 

 general rule, the observations of " Dryasdust " are 

 unfortunately too well founded. During our career 

 as huntsman for nearly thirty years, we found one 

 man only, out of seven or eight others, first 

 whipper-in and kennel huntsman, to whom we 

 would have trusted the management of the pack, 

 either in the kennel or field and that individual 

 was the late huntsman of the Bramham Moor, 

 Charles Tread well, to whom we could securely have 

 trusted untold gold ; and we believe no bribe, 

 however large, would have induced him to betray 

 his master's interest. 



As to the killing of cubs and foxes, notwith- 

 standing we think nearly all huntsmen agreed on 

 one point to kill them when they can, to count 

 scalps on the kennel door, they are rather too 

 indifferent how the scalps are obtained, and we 

 remember a story told it may be such in reality, 

 i.e., a fib of a huntsman allowing his hounds to 

 devour a whole litter one morning ! Even were 

 this a fact, it admits of palliation or explanation, 

 since accidents will occur in the best-regulated 

 families ; and with the intention of taking one 

 only out of a litter, we remember once to have 

 had the ill-luck to kill four, and without the power 

 of preventing such unpremeditated slaughter. You 

 cannot prevent cubs hitherto undisturbed and 

 unacquainted with their enemies being chopped 

 up sometimes in a very unsatisfactory manner ; 



