8 THE ME A TH ' RA TO A TH ' HARRIERS 



my man had not given him the remedy I have 

 described above, for he was in very high condition and 

 the heat was intense. But such a remedy, if given a 

 few hours later, would have been fatal, for it must be 

 used only when the animal is hot. If there is time to 

 prepare it, a cordial or ginger ball, mixed with hot ale, 

 is also a good remedy. 



At the period of my life to which I have referred in 

 the foregoing pages, I kept a pack of harriers, of 

 which I have already made some mention. My object 

 in keeping them was partly for the purpose of training 

 my horses, as also for the amusement of some of my 

 many soldier friends quartered in Dublin, who were not 

 always able to get away from their duties early enough 

 to attend the meets of the other packs, such as the 

 Meath, Kildare, etc., and we had some very nice hunt- 

 ing runs. I had been at considerable pains to get 

 together a nice level pack, crossed according to my 

 own ideas with the blood which I considered most 

 useful for a dry country. At first they were a bit 

 uneven, but all the same were wonderfully good 

 performers, and by dint of judicious crossing I obtained 

 some exceptionally good hounds, amounting in numbers 

 to an average pack of some thirteen couples, out three 

 days a week. 



The best bloodhound blood in Ireland was at my 

 service from the kennels of my friend Mr. Roden, who 

 kept a pack of such hounds ; but a son of the well- 

 known bloodhound Rubens belonged to an English 

 friend who came over to Ireland for a time, prior to 

 his taking this best of all bloodhounds to America, 

 where he produced many useful crosses, A slight 

 infusion of this blood is worth any amount of any 

 other in a dry or bad-scenting country. 



