MOTHER HUNT 115 



known that he had taken the Mastership, subscribers, at that time 

 largely Etonians, began to come in, and though he began with the 

 old Pack he soon drafted the old and bad hounds and began buying, 

 and at once started looking for a site for new Kennels. 



At this time the hounds, about 15 couple, were kenneled at a 

 pub opposite Magdalene, the Kennels being a miserable hole with 

 a yard about 10 feet square. They were irregularly and badly 

 fed at 2s. a week per head, mostly on scraps and odds and ends, 

 and were full of mange and eczema. Many hounds were old and 

 past work, some riotous and much addicted to rabbits and red-legged 

 partridges. They varied in size from 14 inches to 16 inches, but 

 were mostly on the small side. There were a few good hounds 

 among them, but very few. 



Hunt had the two old Whips to start with — Haines and 

 Musgrave — who were both Whips under Tennant. The former was 

 an exceptionally good runner. He appointed E. M. Lawson Smith 

 (who had recently so distinguished himself in the Eton and Harrow 

 Match by practically winning the Match for Harrow), H. R. Cook, 

 afterwards 'Varsity High Jumper, and P. Barges, all of Trinity, as 

 Whips ; and Hunt began training them as well as his hounds — the 

 Whips' idea at first being that they were out for amusement and to 

 see the run. They were speedily cursed in Hunt's flowery language 

 and taught their job. Roughly speaking, Hunt's principle was one 

 Whip with him to turn the hounds at casts, the others wide on 

 the wings of the hunt and as far forward as they could get to view 

 hares and whip off hounds from fresh hares. They were provided 

 with whistles, and neither they nor the field were allowed to holloa. 

 Hunt rarely if ever holloaed unless he had a beaten hare in view, 

 and the result was that the hounds fairly flew to him when he did 

 open his mouth, a fact which more than once saved the hounds from 

 trains, as on hearing the holloa they flew to him in a body. 



Hunt found a piece of vacant land,i a portion of some land near 

 the Histon Road being laid out for building, and after much 

 negotiation agreed to buy it at £125. He then proceeded to raise 

 money by subscriptions to build Kennels and get a van, the hounds 



^ The land was bought early in 1880. 



