82 The Pytchley Hunt^ Past and Present, [chap, m, 



as a huntsman, Mr. Musters possessed_, in no ordinary 

 degree, that of attaching hounds to himself. In his 

 " Notitia Venatica/^ Mr. Vyner tells a curious instance 

 of this in the following interesting incident. When Mr. 

 ]\Iusters hunted in Northamptonshire^ the hounds, 

 having to meet in that well-known cover, Badby Wood, 

 were taken on the day previous by his first whip, Smith, 

 to sleep at the '^ Bull's Head '^ at Weedon. On arriv- 

 ing at a place where the road from Northampton con- 

 verges into that by which they were travelling, suddenly 

 some of the most foremost of the hounds became rest- 

 less, and by their manner Smith concluded that a travel- 

 ling fox had passed near the spot. In a few moments, 

 the whole pack, who had been fed, and were jogging 

 listlessly along, seemed suddenly to be aroused from 

 their torpor, and in another moment were out of hand. 

 The Huntsman thought that the devil had seized them ; the 

 Whips rode after them and rated; but all to no purpose — 

 to stop them was impossible. At last in turning a corner 

 about a mile further on, who should appea"^ in sight but 

 Mr. Musters himself, who had come by a second road 

 and was going quietly on his way, on the hack he usually 

 rode to covert, to dine and sleep at a friend's house near 

 the next day's meet. The delight of the pack at so 

 unexpectedly coming across their beloved master was 

 indescribable. One hound actually jumped upon the 

 horse's quarters, and licked Mr. Musters's face, and it 

 was so difficult a matter to call them ofi", that he was 

 oblifi^ed to go out of his way to conduct them himself 

 to the inn where they were to lodge for the night. 

 A very spirited picture of this scene, with the hound 

 leaping upon the horse's back, was drawn by the cele- 



