iv Preface. 



hunting firesides, but had never risen to type estate ; 

 and hence I determined to sally forth, and make a 

 pilgrimage with my note-book among the principal 

 English kennels. As regards both racing and hunting, 

 I cannot speak with sufficient gratitude of the kind 

 assistance I have received from every one (and from 

 none more than the late Will Goodall) to whom I 

 applied, although in nine instances out of ten we had 

 never met or corresponded before. 



For the first two chapters I can claim no credit. 

 They are the verbatim recitals of the hunting deeds of 

 bygone days in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, 

 as they appeared to two very different minds ; and as 

 Dick has had such experience as "pilot" across Leices- 

 tershire, I deemed it prudent to send him off at score 

 in the first chapter to make a pace, while, in the 

 words of the equally renowned Billy Pierse, "7 

 toddled behindr After spending so many days with 

 Dick in the prosecution of our historic studies, it 

 would have been a sad lack of politeness not to give a 

 print of him. The attitude and expression is exactly 

 that which he assumed when I read him the proof- 

 sheets of his lecture ; and it was, I regret to say, on 

 one of those errands that he incautiously walked, with 



