END OF MY FIRST SEASON 91 



held a solemn meeting ; I do not think there wei'e more than 

 a proprietor or two among them, and at this meeting they 

 attempted to dictate to me. The step they took was to 

 inform me "that they were dissatisfied with the sport I 

 had shown, and that therefore I must keep a huntsman, 

 or they should cease in their subscriptions.'" This pompous 

 order I as flatly refused to listen to ; at the same time in- 

 foi-ming the Club, that if any gentleman would tell me to my 

 face that he individually i-egretted having subscribed, I would 

 wi-ite him a cheque for what he had given, and cancel his 

 liability for the future ; but if their secretary, acting for 

 them as a body, attempted to shirk the responsibility of the 

 thousand pounds per annum for two years, which he had 

 pledged himself on the part of the Club to find, I would 

 try if the law would not force the payment. Here ended 

 the matter for the time ; I went on as usual, the hounds 

 becoming every hour more efficient, and the sport increasing. 



The first season being over, my next object was to breed as 

 many puppies as I could obtain walks for ; which, with my 

 second choice of those bred at Berkeley Castle, would be 

 sufficient for my entry. To induce the farmers to undertake 

 the trouble of a puppy, and as some little acknowledgment to 

 those who had kindly and gratuitously offered to do so, I 

 resolved to give a silver cup to him who delivered to the kennel 

 the best-conditioned and finest-grown puppy; my decision to 

 be made known at a dinner which I gave to all those who 

 reared and brought home young hounds. This took amazingly; 

 it was a thing to look forward to — a merry meeting, consider- 

 ably promoting good fellowship and the preservation of foxes. 

 I was short of brood bitches the first season, and I bred from a 

 bitch I had from Sir John Cope, called Jeopardy ; the father of 

 her puppies was a compact and powerful hound, called Blazer, 

 whom I had from Colonel Wyndhani. Blazer was entered when 

 he came to me, but I soon discovered his fault ; he was a con- 

 firmed skirter. Otherwise he was a most industrious and stout 

 dog, very steady, and a very good hound to draw. He was 



