146 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



pocketed liis flask. Splendour, however, will stand 

 looking into, liis colour, a lig'lit grey and white, being tlie 

 chief thing against him : for although a half- faced hound, 

 the shape and the head itself are altogether perfect. Then, 

 he has famous deep shoulders, with a deal of liberty, 

 while he girths half an inch more than Morgan's, to the 

 surprise of many who thought the latter clearly the bigger 

 round. Splendour stands rather over three-and-twenty 

 inches in height, while he runs out thirty and a-half in 

 *^ circumference.'' But it wants a houndsman to quite 

 appreciate him, and an injury he has received in the stern 

 tends to spoil the 'effect of any "first impression." An 

 old-fashioned white hound from the Cleveland, called 

 Primate, and a famous one in his own country, still did 

 not tell here, and the other two had it all to themselves. 

 But the Cleveland had some fine hounds in their entry ; 

 and Mr. Hill's Dashwood was as good-looking as any- 

 thing, big' in the bone, and of a rare wearing black and 

 tan colour, with a capital dog's head, but the bitch was 

 not quite worthy of him. However, they took the 

 tankard, and Ben Morgan, for Lord Middleton, the horn 

 — a hardish one to blow as it seemed, and although 

 Sebright and two or three more did get a note out of it, 

 Mr. Parrington beat them all for a good long telling blast 

 that proclaimed he was away ! But the Secretary is to 

 hunt the Ilurworth next season, so that he is only getting 

 himself into proper pipe ; • while last year he took the prize 

 whip as the best man over the timber they put up at 

 Redcar. Surely no man was ever so qualified for the 

 official duties of a Horse and a Hound Show. Tom 

 Sebright got his spurs for the second best puppies with a 

 couple of nicely-shaped, handsomely marked young 

 hounds, although not so fine in the shoulder or good in 



