Tom Hills 35 



Amongst his other qualifications, Tom Hills possessed 

 the gift of boxing with skill and infinite gameness. His 

 fight with Deakins, a gamekeeper of Titsey Park, is 

 historical. They had repeatedly quarrelled, and at last 

 arranged to settle their differences in " the old style," 

 meeting for that purpose at six o'clock one morning at 

 Botley Hill. It was a great battle. The keeper was 

 taller, heavier, and ten years younger than the huntsman. 

 A spectator of this Homeric struggle records that he 

 could only compare the blows inflicted to horses kicking 

 one another. Round after round was fought with 

 immense fierceness ; both combatants were strong and 

 scientific ; and in half an hour Deakins was carried from 

 the scene of action in a terribly battered condition, whilst 

 his opponent walked away with few marks on him. The 

 two men were ever the best of friends afterwards, and no 

 more tricks were played with Tom or with the foxes — a 

 matter of the utmost importance and the real cause of the 

 " scrap." Deakins, it is related, used to catch the cubs, 

 snip their brushes ofT, and so prove to demonstration 

 that they belonged to his domain. 



We have already referred to the presentation to Tom Hills 

 of his portrait, which adorns this chapter, and there was a 

 brilliant gathering at Titsey Place in honour of that event. 

 Lord Amherst made the presentation in a very cordial 

 speech, from which we cull the following few passages : — 



" I have been selected to express the sense of this 

 meeting from the fact of my being one of the oldest 

 subscribers to the Old Surrey Foxhounds. I am not the 



