THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



as his successor William Goodall, who had been second 

 whipper-in, and thus began a combination of master and 

 huntsman which, added to the excellence and the renown of 

 the pack, entitles this period to the name of the golden age. 

 Goodall was something more than an ordinary huntsman, for 

 he had a character, even a touch of genius, which removed 

 him altogether from the ordinary run of men. I do not know 

 whether it is necessary to apologise for using such language 

 of a huntsman, but if it is, it would be because men forget 

 that it is not so much a man's occupation as his character 

 which entitles him to his real place among his fellows. In 

 the history of a hunt we may be permitted to speak highly 

 of the most remarkable character it produced — a man who 

 succeeded in everything he undertook, and left behind him a 

 reputation which will not be forgotten as long as hunting is 

 delighted in above all other sports by Englishmen. 



I have a letter by me from Colonel Anstruther Thomson, in 

 which he places Goodall first of all the huntsmen he has known 

 in the kennel, and second only to James Walker of the Fife in 

 the field, and to Tom Firr, late of the Quorn, in the saddle. 



William Goodall was the grandson of old Stephen Goodall, 

 the heaviest professional huntsman who ever sat on a horse. 

 Even old Raymond, his favourite horse, on which the old 

 huntsman is painted, would lie down at odd moments to 

 relieve himself of the tremendous weight of his rider. But 

 Stephen was, no doubt, a fine kennel huntsman, and he had 

 hunted with Mr. Corbet, of Sundorne, and could remember 

 old Trojan, for so long a toast with Warwickshire huntsmen. 

 His kennel discipline was somewhat severe, as we gather by 

 the well-known story of the buck rabbit which used to be 

 turned into the kennels, while the whippers-in checked even 

 so much as the winking of an eyelid towards it. One of 

 Stephen's whippers-in at last represented to the huntsman 

 the unfairness of thus bringing temptation to the hounds 

 instead of waiting for them to go to it, and the feeder ate 

 the rabbit and put an end to the system. Young William 

 Goodall began life, as so many good huntsmen have done, in 

 the stables. Mr. Drake, his first master, was member for 



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