FOX-HUNTING. 189 



desire or deserve, in the way of a decent 

 and respectable funeral, than through the jaws 

 of his late and dearly loved companions in the 

 chase ? 



Having had, then, so good an example set 

 me, I did justice to my bringing up by follow- 

 ing it ; and whenever I had horses that I had 

 ridden for several years, when they got worn 

 out or otherwise unfit for service, I had them 

 shot, or did it myself; and the latter was for 

 two reasons — first, that, there should be no 

 reason to suspect that the horse would be used 

 in any way through any mistake ; and the next, 

 that I could make sure that no cruelty was 

 practised. I believe that knackers generally 

 stab them in the heart with a long knife. 

 This no man who valued his horse would like 

 to have happen to him. The shooting of a 

 horse is a very easy matter : it only requires a 

 steady hand and good nerves, and if done in 

 the right place, either in the forehead or just 

 behind the root of the ear, his death is so 

 sudden and so painless, that I have often seen 

 them drop stone dead, and not move a muscle 

 after the shot was fired. Now, I have had 

 and shot a good many horses of my own, and 



