216 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



In the face of the evidence that Bragg's pack had 

 only been converted into foxhounds in the year 1880, 

 a fact which was admitted by Mr. Thomas's secretary 

 shortly before the hearing of the arbitration, it was 

 impossible for Mr. Thomas to succeed. 



It will be noticed, though, that the decision was 

 not based on this fact alone. If it had been, it would 

 have taken the negative form of deciding that Mr. 

 Thomas's hunt had not made out its title to the 

 disputed area. The decision goes a great deal 

 farther than that ; it shews that the positive evidence 

 adduced by the South Devon was investigated by the 

 arbitrators and was such as to satisfy them that the 

 South Devon had proved its title, not only to the 

 strip of moorland immediately in question, but to 

 the whole of the country hunted by Mr. Thomas. 



The award was accepted by Mr. Thomas's hunt in 

 a thoroughly sportsmanlike spirit, and, in the same 

 spirit, the South Devon, being thus left in possession 

 of the field, promptly set about making an arrange- 

 ment for the loan of a part of its vast territory to its 

 neighbour. A meeting took place at Dr. Gaye's 

 house on the 30th July, 1890, between representatives 

 of the two hunts, when it was arranged that Mr. 

 Thomas's hounds might hunt the country north of 

 the road leading from Moretonhampstead to Prince- 

 town, during Dr. Gaye's mastership of the South 

 Devon. Later, in 1894, at a meeting of the com- 

 mittee of the South Devon Hunt held on the 22nd 

 August, a more enduring arrangement was proposed, 

 as expressed in the following resolution, the terms of 

 which were afterwards accepted by the committee 

 of the Mid-Devon Hunt and have ever since been 

 adhered to : — 



