182 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



The whip had a better time, as his journey usually 

 began and finished at Kingsteignton, another man 

 helping hounds to and from the kennels. Those days 

 were less luxurious than these, and early hours were 

 in vogue for eubhunting, which most people (except 

 at the moment their alarum clocks go off) will agree is 

 the better time of day. 



During his first season, Whidborne hunted the 

 country at his own expense without any subscription. 

 The following season he stipulated for a subscription 

 of three hundred pounds, but the sum paid him did 

 not reach that figure, and he then decided to hunt the 

 country another season (1884-5) at his own expense 

 rather than put himself under obligation to the hunt. 



In July, 1883, Mr. George H. Hext and Mr. Arthur 

 S. Rendell, both of Newton Abbot, were appointed 

 joint honorary secretaries. The hunt organization had 

 practically dwindled to nothing since the Hemming 

 fiasco, and the setting of things upon a proper footing 

 once again was, as it always is in such cases, very 

 uphill work. No better men, however, could have 

 been chosen for the task than the two gentlemen 

 named. Their personal popularity was great, and 

 they were both very well known. Mr. Hext had a 

 most pleasing way of extorting subscriptions, and 

 Mr. Rendell's intimate acquaintance with the farmers 

 in the hunt ensured their support and co-operation. 

 Both were real sportsmen and instigated by a keen 

 love of hunting, but time was necessarily required for 

 their labours to produce fruit. The work of a hunt 

 secretary is not done in the limelight, and no one 

 will ever know the full extent of the advantage that 

 accrued to the hunt from the appointment of Mr. 

 Hext and Mr. Rendell to the secretaryship. The 

 latter retired after six years' good work, but the 



