112 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1800 to 



North House, Stoke Woods, to old Winchester, 

 where he sunk the valley to Meon Stoke, crossed 

 Sooerton Down, to the forest of Bere, to Sheep- 

 wash, where they killed him in three hours and 

 five minutes, without a check of more than two 

 minutes. Throughout the greater part of the 

 run they went a clipping pace (and there was 

 a great demand for blacksmiths). Out of a 

 numerous field of sportsmen, only five or six, 

 besides the huntsman John Major, and the 

 whipper-in, lived with them until they killed, 

 who all acknowledged never having seen a 

 better run, during which the hounds were not 

 once lifted to a halloo. In short, he was 

 viewed but twice during the run. The dis- 

 tance was calculated to exceed thirty miles. 



At the end of the season Mr. Shard resigned 

 the management, in consequence of his health 

 being unequal to the fatigue of fox-hunting, 

 and presented forty couple of very fine hounds 

 to the gentlemen of the Hunt. 

 Mr. Thomas Mr. Thomas Smith now became 

 Smith. master of the Hambledon hounds, 



and hunted them himself until 1829, when 

 he took the Craven country ; and during 

 his management he showed an uninterrupted 

 series of sport. Mr. Smith is a thorough 

 sportsman, and may be said to have trodden 



