Tom Hills 3 1 



of the latter, on Lounger, while one of his sons is on 

 Paddy, and the badger-pye Factor, by Old Surrey Factor 

 out of Dimple, of his most cherished sort, stands close up 

 to Lounger's foot. There was also an enormous fox in a 

 case. He was not exactly brought to hand in Tom's 

 usual style, as the hounds flashed over him into a covert 

 near Godstone, and a farmer found him lying dead in a 

 furrow next day." 



Continuing to treat his subject with infinite gusto, the 

 same authority writes : — 



" Tom is now rising sixty-five, and just entering his 

 fortieth season with his Old Surrey pets. Five of his sons 

 are in the profession ; and he can say, what no man 

 ever said before — that three of them are huntsmen. Sam 

 began with the West Kent, where he was for two seasons, 

 and now he is about commencing his sixth Old Surrey 

 one with his father. What a galaxy of hunting talent ! " 



Tom Hills also possessed the advantage of a rare 

 " musical " voice, and was as active as a kitten, whilst his 

 pluck was inexhaustible. When he was riding Paddy 

 over a succession of gates downhill, somebody asked him 

 how he kept the horse up under such a weight. " He 

 daren't fall," was the reply : " knows I should crush 

 him." 



His knowledge of the run of a fox was marvellous, and 

 as to that many tales are told ; want of space alone 

 compels us to leave them out. 



He was a brilliant cricketer, and his bowling once 

 won a game for the Westerham eleven. An irritable 



