162 WITH HOUND AND TERRIER. 



an augury of good to the great cause of fox- 

 hunting which they all had at heart. 



A humorous suggestion as to the possible means 

 of avoiding the danger of hounds being ridden 

 over, Mr Guest made. As the danger arose from 

 the action of the strano^ers who came to ride with 

 them, and not from the residents in the country, 

 he thought it might lead to good results if each 

 stranger made himself responsible for the walking 

 of one of their puppies. He knew from experience 

 that every puppy-walker was most careful not to 

 hurt a hound in the field, and he thought that 

 in the same circumstances a stranger would be 

 afraid of over-riding the hound he had walked, 

 or he would be restrained by the fear of harming 

 a hound which his wife had taken care of in its 

 young days. He feared that as it was, strangers 

 were apt to view the hound in much the same 

 way as the celebrated Lord Alvanley, who is 

 credited with the remark, "If it were not for 

 these blessed hounds, what fun we could have ! " 



Mr Guest then assured his friends who were 

 present that the only way in which he could 

 show his appreciation of their marks of regard 

 worthily, w^as by promising them that as long 

 as he had the power and as long as he had 

 the means, so long would it be with him, fox et 

 jprcBterea nihil. 



There is plenty of variety in the country hunted 

 over by the Blackmore Vale Hounds. In the 

 Sparkford and Lydford districts it is a flying 



