208 WITH HOUND AND TERRIER. 



ence, as I certified at one time for Stalbridge. 

 I remember being sent for one morning to see a 

 lot of dead poultry, the owner of course wishing 

 to be compensated for their loss. I rode over 

 consequently, and was shown a number of dead 

 chickens scattered about an outhouse of which 

 the door was fastened when I arrived. A glance 

 at the dead birds was sufficient. " These have 

 not been killed by a fox," I said to the man. " Oh 

 no," was the calm reply. "The fact is, my son's 

 ferret got loose last night and killed them, but 

 I thought, as you paid for foxes, you might give 

 me a little. The loss is a serious one to me." 



I strongly advised the sanguine person to 

 prevent his son from keeping ferrets in future, 

 as he could only want them for poaching purposes, 

 and they would be sure to get him into trouble 

 sooner or later. 



Mr Dendy, who was our indefatigable hunt 

 secretary for so many years, had a somewhat 

 similar experience when he was asked to pay for 

 several pounds of bacon. On inquiry it turned 

 out that the owner was in the habit of keeping 

 his bacon in an outhouse, and that one night he 

 had omitted to shut the door. It was therefore 

 pointed out to him that a stray dog, or possibly 

 even a two-legged thief, might have carried off 

 the missing portion. 



The Kev. S. Dendy, of Lattiford House, decided 

 to retire from the post of Hon. Secretary to the 

 Blackmore Vale Hunt in the spring of 1896, as, 



