A HUNTSMAN. 151 



No ! It was all true enough. Dazed as he was, that 

 must, he surely felt, be Sir Henry telling him that if 

 he is industrious and straightforward, civil to his com- 

 panions, and kind to his horses, he will be sure to get 

 on. Bill tries to express his gratitude and to promise 

 to do his very best. An interval of delirium, in which 

 tailors, boots, and breeches play a prominent part, 

 supervenes. Monday morning sees Bill installed as 

 second horseman, and Tuesday sees the beginning of 

 his duties. 



His early training and experience stood him in 

 admirable stead. To a light weight and skill in the 

 saddle he united, as before said, an instinctive know- 

 ledge of the fox's line, and as a second horseman Bill 

 was little short of perfect. When a vacancy for a 

 second whip occurred, however, Sir Henry felt bound to 

 advance a good servant, and Bill — who, we may be sure, 

 had meantime seen as much of his four-legged friends 

 in the kennels as he possibly could — became officially 

 connected with them. Bill had never before talked 

 to hounds — that is to say, talked aloud — and a new 

 qualification for success in his profession was now 

 discovered — a rich and musical voice. 



Further promotion fell to Bill some two seasons after- 

 wards, and though it by no means follows that a good 

 First Whip will make a good Huntsman, after passing 

 five or six years as First Whip Bill attained the summit 

 of his ambition, and was elevated to the rank he had 

 always so eagerly desired. 



