234 THE TEINITY FOOT BEAGLES 



Here is the final stage in the progress of the Industrious 

 Apprentice : — 



" Opening meet under H. S. G., day worthy of a novice, scent 

 poor and hounds wild, numerous little fiends of boys making enough 

 row to please Oscar Bennet in his ' crowds ' for Julius Ctesar and the 

 like, but for the sport ! ! ! Met at Horningsea Gorse, got a hare away 

 from the Gorse, but hounds were a long time in coming out. Our 

 hare took us straight away across two ploughs towards Guy Fen. 

 We worked a slow and doubtful line which got colder and colder, 

 and at length chucked it after half an hour. Great doubts as to 

 whether we hunted a ' yellow dog ' or a hare, 10 to 1 on the former. 

 Back to the Gorse w^here a ' very red hare ' was viewed away to the 

 right, got on to her, but only ran her as far as the Bailey's Farm 

 before we lost her, so tried the Gorse again. Our hare broke the 

 same way again, and took us all along the river, and to the right 

 across the road, worked a slow line round Bailey's Farm, and then 

 back across the road again to the Gorse ; here we dallied for a while 

 and then went home." 



The diary also contains records of another young huntsman's 

 first blood. 



"Tumpington, Oct 11, made famous by that Miles Ptowland 

 Backhouse killed his first hare here ! ! ! Some there are who say it 

 was lucky K. Walker was present, but it is question at present under 

 consideration whether a huntsman should ask advice of his field." 



A7iswer.—" Yes."— H. S. G. 



Our last detailed records are those of W. E. Paget's Mastership, 

 and consist of a letter from Mr. Paget himself, and of some 

 reminiscences of Mr. Godfrey Lawson, a Whip, and they carry us 

 into the present century and to times which come almost within 

 living memory. It was in Paget's year that the new hound van was 

 built by Thorn of Norwich. At this period there was a pack of Uni- 

 versity Harriers as well as the T.F.B., and for some time the two com- 

 bined to hold a point to point meeting and give races to the farmers. 

 This meeting was, of course, nothing like the event that " Cotten- 

 ham " is, but it seems to have been very good fun. The account of 

 the meeting in 1897 is preserved in the Gladstone diary. 



