The Late Mr. W. Mortimer S3 



entered early, for the little fair -haired boy who, on a 

 certain December day in 1819, rode his pony twenty 

 miles to covert and hunted him all day, has hunted with 

 the Old Surrey Fox Hounds exclusively ever since. A 

 thorough lover of fox-hunting, with sound judgment, 

 activity, and clearness of perception in the management of 

 a hunting establishment, always at the covert-side to the 

 minute, as light-hearted as a boy throughout the day, 

 whether the sport was good or bad, and not easily beaten 

 by his field, even during his later years, he reached a 

 green (and scarlet) old age, with honour. It is not every- 

 one who will take a provincial country on a precarious 

 subscription, and try and manage an awkward field for 

 the sake of pure sport alone, and Mr. Mortimer had an 

 arduous task to perform. But he never flinched, and the 

 Old Surrey has never had a more popular Master." 



Whilst hunting was the ruling passion of his life, 

 Mr. Mortimer was fond of shooting, travel, and adventure. 

 He undertook a long sporting expedition in America, 

 accompanied by the existing Tom Gilbert, of Banstead — 

 who has hunted with the Old Surrey for over sixty years 

 — and their efforts were very successful. Some a big game" 

 was accounted for by them in genuine sporting fashion. 



" Mr. Mortimer was always wonderfully keen," says the 

 genial Tom, "and if he thought he was missing any good 

 sport he was apt to become quite miserable. No day was 

 too long for him in the saddle ; he rode immense distances 

 with his hounds, enjoying himself thoroughly all the time ; 

 he seemed to be insensible to fatigue, and when, at last, 



