26 OLD JOHN \yAED's PACK. 



it was held, Mr. Assheton Smith had no less than 

 thirty-six couples in his kennel by my hounds at 

 one time, in the year 1838, twelve years after they 

 had been in my possession. 



Our hounds were of great size and power, with 

 clean necks and shoulders, good legs and feet, and 

 lengthy frames, many of the dogs standing twenty- 

 six inches in height, and the bitches from twenty- 

 three to twenty-five. When I first pm'chased 

 Ward's pack, it was thought they could never work 

 through our hilly home country, or force a fox 

 from our thick blackthorn woods ; but in this 

 very country they showed themselves to as great 

 advantage as on the large open pastures of North 

 Wilts ; for, possessing high courage and spirit, they 

 dashed over the stuff" which a smaller hound would 

 be obliged to creep through, and being beautiful 

 drawers, spreading wide over every foot of covert, 

 the foxes were obliged to fly, and the thundering 

 crash with which they came down these hill-side 

 woods was quite enough to scare their game 

 away. 



Jim Hills, the celebrated himtsman of the Hey- 

 throp pack, who at the time I hunted this country 

 was first whipper-in to the late Lord Ducie, then 

 Master of V. W. H. Hounds, told me, only two 

 years ago, that he had never forgotten the style in 



