THE SPOIITSMAN AT CONFESSION. 39 



merely as a source of amusement. The Huntsman, 

 the Jockey, the Steeple-chase Rider, the Bull-baiter, 

 and Dog-iighter — even the Gentleman, if he is merely 

 a "bookless sauntering youth, proud of the scut that 

 dignifies his cap " — will all deny that there is a 

 particle of cruelty in any of their several occupations ; 

 while the man of sense will candidly admit the charge, 

 but may very justifiably add, that if we do not let a 

 selfish thirst for amusement benumb or obliterate our 

 feelings of humanity, the great source of amusement 

 arising from sporting, and also the great advantages 

 a large portion of the community derive from it, over- 

 balance the trifling cruelty we inflict in its pursuit : 

 and this is the only true state of the case. No man 

 can attempt to deny that to turn out a stag merely 

 for the pleasure of hunting him is gratifying ourselves 

 at the expense of a harmless animal ; it would be 

 folly to deny it : still I hunted seven seasons with 

 stag-hounds, and must allow I never thought of 

 anything but keeping as near to the hounds as a 

 sportsman Ought to be. Foxes are vermin, some will 

 say, therefore we ought to kill them : " so where's 

 the cruelty ? " This is all nonsense. If there is any 

 cruelty in hunting, whether it be the fox or the hare, 

 the thing is the same; and for this reason a gun would 

 be a quicker mode of ridding ourselves of the one and 

 of possessing the other. It is always bad policy to 

 pertinaciously defend a bad cause, or to attempt to 

 controvert that which in itself is incontrovertible. 

 Let us allow therefore, like honest fellows, that there 

 is some cruelty even in fox-hunting, but that it is so 

 born with those of the right sort, and is so fascinating 

 in its pursuit, that death would almost be preferable 

 to resigning it. Then fill a bumper to fox-hunting, 



D 4 



