34 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



perience and close observations of men, that some use " swear 

 words " and Johnsonian words of endearment to reheve their 

 pent-up feelings. Expressing one's feelings is no doubt a 

 relief, but the majority do it because they think it fine and 

 clever, and because others of the same genre laugh at their 

 vulgarity, until it becomes a habit and they do not know when 

 they do it, or how much it is spoiling the pleasure of those who 

 see nothing clever or amusing in it. 



There is no keener sportsman in the west country than Mr. 

 Milne, who hunts six days a week, and is much sought after as 

 a judge at puppy -shows. 



He hunts in pink, which is not a common practice with 

 parsons ; he also acts as his own huntsman, and during the 

 hunting-season wears pink in the evening. He says whatever 

 he does he tries to dress the part. On Sundaj^s always a tall 

 hat and black coat, even in his remote little village. He has 

 hunted the Cattistock for seventeen years ; before that he was 

 Master of the North Bucks Harriers ; before that again, the 

 Trinity Beagles at Cambridge, so he has had considerable 

 experience. 



In the Cattistock country he was usually accompanied by 

 one or two little daughters, before they grew up and married. 

 They rode their father's horses and looked picturesque in velvet 

 hunting -caps. It was interesting to hear such small people, as 

 they were when first I saw them, discussing runs in the most 

 highly technical language. 



A jocose little bird told me one day that the Rev. Edgar, 

 better known as " Jack " Milne, of the Cattistock, might be 

 seen any day, between early June and August 1st, sitting looking 

 through the bars of the fox-den at the Zoo, deeply pondering 

 from daylight till dark. 



Sobriety of manners in the hunting -field carried me on to 

 Mr. Milne before I had finished my Yorkshire sporting clerics, 

 and I wished to include the Rev. L. B. Morris, well known 

 with the York and Ainsty, Lord Middleton's, and other York- 

 shire packs. He was chaplain to Lord Middleton at Birdsall 

 for fourteen years, and naturally did a good deal of hunting 

 with his hounds. I met him first staying with the Hustlers ; he 

 was always very smart, spick and span, and one day when he 

 had just arrived at the meet, a young mare I was on took the 



