152 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



on retirement, in his turn make over to any gentleman 

 selected as his successor and not having a pack of his 

 own, a pack equal in quality and number. Lord 

 Haldon added to the pack drafts from Belvoir and 

 elsewhere, and the kennels were once more at Haldon 

 House, The pack went by the name of " Lord 

 Haldon's Hounds." Dan North was retained as 

 kennel-huntsman, but deposed in the field to the 

 position of first whip. This of itself would have 

 handicapped a better huntsman than Lord Haldon, 

 for the great majority of the hounds had for several 

 seasons owed allegiance to North as their huntsman, 

 and naturally would not accept the new regime, and, 

 as he said himself, it went to. his heart to drive them 

 away from him. All the other conditions were 

 favourable. The master and men were splendidly 

 mounted, the landowners well disposed, as were also 

 the farmers, and foxes were plentiful. Nevertheless, 

 sport on the whole was bad, although, as the strange- 

 ness of the new conditions wore off, there was an 

 improvement, and sometimes we had a very pleasant 

 day's sport. 



In those days our provincials were apt to view with 

 suspicion any approach to " dandyism," and there 

 was a certain smartness about the turn-out that was, 

 quite \vrongly no doubt, associated in their minds with 

 the falling off of the standard of the sport provided. 

 I shall never forget the expression on the face of old 

 William Paul, Mr. \Miidborne's stud groom, on the 

 first occasion that he saw the master get out of his 

 break to mount his hunter. He had taken the very 

 proper precaution of putting on an apron to protect 

 his leather breeches. " Good lord ! " exclaimed the 

 old man, " I never saw a man come out hunting in a 

 pinafore before ! " There was some excuse for him, 



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