276 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



define the membership and to alter the mode of 

 election of the committee, and this was passed at a 

 general meeting. The attempt was well-intentioned, 

 but the resolution did not go far enough to make the 

 scheme workable. The committee then set to work 

 to draw up a comprehensive code of rules. These 

 were thoroughly threshed out, first in committee and 

 afterwards by the members in general meeting. The 

 result was the code of rules that, as slightly amended 

 during the following year, will be found in one of the 

 appendices.^ These rules are by no means perfect ; 

 in particular, the constitution of the hunt is not 

 framed upon the best lines possible. It was, in fact, 

 felt to be inexpedient, in view of the existing trouble, 

 to depart more than was absolutely necessary from 

 the lines of Mr. Simpson's scheme, so far as concerned 

 the qualifications for membership and election of 

 committee, and the hunt contented itself with placing 

 its affairs and management upon a workable footing. 

 The soreness that had been engendered soon passed 

 off, for the master was the last man in the world to 

 nurture ill-will, even where he had reason to consider 

 that in some quarters his treatment had been un- 

 generous ; while, on the other hand, all recognized 

 that he was a thorough sportsman and good fellow, 

 and that his very outspokenness, at which some took 

 umbrage, was the surest proof of his honesty of 

 purpose. It was with this feeling, and with the 

 sense of the indebtedness of the hunt to Mr. Brun- 

 skill for six seasons' good sport and to Mrs. Brun- 

 skill for her help in the good cause, that the members 

 presented them with a very handsome silver cup, 

 when at the end of the season 1912-13, the master 

 definitely decided to retire. The presentation was 



* See appendix B. 



