THE OLD STAG-HOUND. 217 



no notice ; I could soon tell if we were right, when a hound 

 challenged that I knew. We had very long runs, all over 

 Essex, and they went a good pace when there was a scent. The 

 forest was about 12,000 acres, and there was no road but what 

 there was a gate to. There was a Lord Warden and a Bridle 

 Eanger. Once we caught a stng and hind, and sent them to the 

 Royal kennels in George the Fourth's reign. We hunted in 

 green coats." 



Here our conversation with the veteran ceased, and when he 

 is gone there will be no one, we expect, living who can remember 

 much of the old stag-hounds. An impression seems to have 

 been prevalent that these hounds were slow and pottering. Let 

 us hear what the Eev. J. Eussell says on the subject. Turning 

 to his memoir in " Baily's Magazine" for October, 1877, we find 

 the following letter of his quoted : — 



" My head-quarters at that time were at South Molton, and 

 I hunted as many days in every week as my duties would 

 permit with John Froude, the well-known vicar of Knowstone, 

 with whom I was then on very intimate terms. His hounds 

 were something out of the common — hred from the old stag- 

 honnds, light in their colour, and sharp as needles; plenty of 

 tongue, bid would drive like furies. I have never seen a better or 

 more killing pack in all my long life. He couldn't bear to see 

 a hound put his nose to the ground and 'twiddle his tail.' 

 ' Hang the brute ! ' he would say to the owner of the hounds, 

 'and get those that can wind their game when they are 

 thrown off' " 



This does not sound much like a slow, pottering lot, and I am 

 bound to confess that there is no man's word on which I would 

 put more implicit faith on such a question than on that of the 

 Rev. J. Russell, for I am convinced that no man knows more 

 about hounds in their work (very few so much), and the York- 

 shire people can bear testimony to his knowledge of them in the 

 show-yard. Whether it is for the best interests of sport thatwe 

 have lost the blood, I do not pretend to say. Many men hold 



