NOT A HUNTING COUNTRY 267 



eliminated from the hound lists. All honour to 

 the plucky fellows, say I, who with limited means 

 and in face of opposition keep " the tambourine 

 a-rollin','' and all honour to the Master, who, prob- 

 ably not a rich man himself, spends some of his 

 substance on keeping up the pack. 



And it should always be borne in mind that 

 even in unfashionable countries some people may 

 be kept at home by the fact of there being a pack 

 of hounds there, who would otherwise spend their 

 time and their money elsewhere. I know of at 

 least two such cases. One gentleman, a man of 

 vast wealth, hunts what, with the exception of a 

 small portion of it, would be looked upon by 

 the gentleman I have quoted as an unhuntable 

 country. Immense woodlands, near together, 

 small enclosures, etc., is a good description of 

 two-thirds of it. Excellent sport is shown by a 

 good pack of hounds, and foxes are plentiful, and 

 they are accounted for satisfactorily. And not 

 only during the hunting season, but for most of 

 the year the gentleman resides at home. Were it 

 not that he could hunt at home he would take 

 himself and his wealth into some other country. 

 It is scarcely necessary to say that the hounds over 

 which he presides with such marked ability do 

 more good in the country in an economic sense 

 than would forty game preservers. Another in- 

 stance occurs to my memory. In just such a 

 country as this which I have been speaking of, 

 save that it was a two instead of a three days' a 

 week country, the subscription was about ^350 

 per annum, of which £260 was the payment made 

 to the Master. A useful balance was generally 

 carried forward from year to year, and I believe 



