234 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



difficulty of raising money in a hunt is greater where 

 the master is a man of means. 



Financial troubles were not the only ones that 

 befell the hunt during this mastership. On the 

 opening day of the season 1898-9 the honorary 

 secretary, Mr. G. H. Hext, had his leg broken through 

 being kicked in the field and was laid up for the rest 

 of the season. In the same winter, Mr. Vicary caught 

 such a severe cold on the moor as to render him 

 temporarily deaf and to debar him from taking the 

 field for a considerable time. Worse was to come. 



CoUings had been kept on as huntsman. His 

 reputation was at its height, and he was an invalu- 

 able servant, especially to masters who had not at 

 their disposal the time necessary to visit the distant 

 parts of such a large country. Collings' son, Frank, 

 left at the end of the first season to go into business 

 at Marychurch, whence some time later he went to 

 Chagford and took the Three Crowns Hotel. He 

 is still there, and ever since settling at Chagford has 

 been of great service to the Mid-Devon Hunt, at times 

 hunting the pack, and at other times undertaking 

 its sole management on behalf of the committee. 



The vacancy in the hunt staff was filled, after a 

 temporary appointment, by the engagement of Harry 

 Choules as first whip. He came to take up his duties 

 on the morning of the 20th December, 1898 — an 

 eventful day as it proved — just as Collings was 

 starting with the hounds for Welstor Cross, but he 

 did not accompany the pack. Neither of the masters 

 was out that day. 



A fox was found, and, after running through 

 Lizwell Wood, went to earth in a clitter of rocks on 

 the steep hillside at Avychurch in Buckland Woods. 

 Collings set the terrier to work and took up his 



