1 86 The Pytchley Hunt, Past and Present. 



of hounds in England — a gentleman of whom you 

 have probably often heard — Colonel Anstruther Thom- 

 son/' 



'^ Oh, indeed have I," was the answer, " Colonel 

 Athersfone Thomson ! Why, of course I have, and being 

 it's he, I don't mind telling him that he is now looking 

 at the worst pack of hounds in England ! They're called 

 the Lyme harriers, and there's scarce a decent hound in 

 the lot. When I take them out of a morning, they'll 

 suddenly start off in full cry, and run for three or four 

 miles after nothing at all.'"' 



Greatly amused at this candid confession of the short- 

 comings of his pack, one of the better-looking members 

 w^as pointed out, and he was subjected to the question, 

 "That's a good hound to judge by appearances. What 

 about him, eh ? " 



" Well, gentlemen, I'll just tell you. He'll go ten 

 times round the same field doing nothiug; and then 

 he'll stop and scratch, and the worst of it is, that 

 some of the gentlemen who belong to the Hunt, 

 though they're devils to ride, call it beautiful 

 questing ! ■" 



'^ But why don't you get another situation ? " 



*^ Indeed, and I must, gentlemen, for I cannot stand it 

 any longer ; but a place is hard to find nowadays. I was 

 some years Huntsman to a pack of hounds in County 

 Carlow, but I can't go back there, for Ireland's a lost 

 country. If you can help me in finding a new situation, 

 I shall take it as a kindness." Promising to help if it 

 were possible, we took leave of our ill-suited friend — 

 as clean, nice, and well-mannered a servant as any 

 Master of harriers might wish to have for a Huntsman. 



