213 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE BLACKMORE VALE HOUNDS. 



From the time when the Kev. Harry Farr Yeat- 

 man, of Stock House, hunted a part of the 

 Blackmore Vale country, there has been a succes- 

 sion of keen sportsmen to rule over the hunt. 

 Some, like Mr George Wingfield Digby, were 

 more of horsemen than lovers of hounds, but in the 

 last two masters of the old hunt these characteris- 

 tics were combined. Both Sir Richard Glyn and 

 Mr Merthyr Guest did much to improve the pack, 

 and gave time and thought freely to the subject of 

 hound-breeding, while they were good horsemen 

 and straight riders, and may be said to have 

 enjoyed thoroughly the many-sided sport, in the 

 annals of which their names will live. 



Of the dwarf foxhounds with which Mr Yeatman 

 hunted fox, hare, and roedeer impartially, there are 

 no lists extant, but from the entries of sport in old 

 journals we know that the hounds were fast and 

 showed great sport. Indeed had they not been 

 good in the field they would not have satisfied the 

 Master. At a time when the little hounds were 



