OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 79 



hounds, I took care no unfair advantage of this 

 privilege should be taken ; but Ave " live and 

 learn " : I have seen so many days sport marred 

 by it, that I now disapprove of it, and think 

 it better to allow yovu- servants to take Christmas 

 boxes, a thing in the end perhaps more beneficial 

 to them ; but you will have some difficulty in 

 persuading them to it. I have heard, with some 

 packs near London, on a Saturday ('"' Le grand 

 jour de la Chasse,'") the huntsmen will occasion- 

 ally turn down a bagman (of course vmknown 

 to their master) ; they cannot resist the tempta- 

 tion, when they are certain of a large P'ield, and 

 the cap-money on those days amounts to something 

 considerable. 



A good-tempered sensible first whipper-in, that 

 ivill obey, and has the sport of the day, and his 

 master's interest at heart, is not very often to 

 be met Avith. I have had some very good ones, 

 and some very bad ; of the latter, the very worst 

 tempered man I ever had, although a good sports- 

 man, was at the very time I was in the greatest 

 need of a good one. I Avas commencing making 

 a pack from draughts (not an easy task I can 

 assure yovi) ; Ave Averc going on as aa'cII as we 

 could possibly expect ; the hounds were getting 

 handy, and to knoAV each other, and avc Avere 

 beginning to place some confidence in them ; 



