THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



Hills, but perhaps it was as well that this dream was 

 never fulfilled, for the brilliant style of that famous huntsman 

 was not suited for imitation, and least of all by a young 

 beginner in the art His father,^ with perhaps a better idea of 

 what would be best for the lad, wrote to Goosey, whom 

 Goodall senior had known when he was in the stables at 

 the foot of the Castle hill. No answer came to the letter, 

 and it was a chance remark made in the hearing of Lord 

 Forester's brother that led to Will being employed at Belvoir 

 as second whipper-in. It is evident, though details are scarce 

 and the materials for history are made up of hints and 

 allusions, that William Goodall had already attracted atten- 

 tion. Wherever he went the natural sweetness of his 

 disposition and his good character won him friends, many 

 and faithful, of all classes, from his fellow-servants and the 

 farm labourers, up to Sir Thomas Whichcote and " my kind 

 Lord Duke " in after years. At all events, William Goodall 

 was engaged in the year 1837, which was his first season with 

 the Belvoir hounds. Goosey was already drawing near the 

 close of his time, and he was an old man and somewhat testy 

 with his whippers-in. The Druid tells us that his greeting 

 to young Goodall was, " You must not mind if I give you a 

 good blowing-up in the field ; I am as likely to do so if you 

 are right as wrong " ; and we know from other sources that 

 Will had something to bear from the old huntsman, and that 

 he bore it well. On the other hand, he was from the first a 

 favourite with Lord Forester, whose own enthusiasm for the 

 sport made him a ready sympathiser with the keenness of 

 his young servant. 



On Goosey's retirement, the path was marked out for Will's 

 promotion ; his readiness in the kennel, his excellent judgment 

 of a hound, and last, but not least, his bold riding across a 

 difficult country, on horses which were not always of the very 

 best, had attracted general attention. In addition to this, 

 Tom Flint, the first whipper-in, was out of the question for 

 the post. An excellent servant, a good sportsman, and a 

 favourite with the field, poor Flint suffered with the same 

 ' Stud groom to Mr. Drake. 

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