Scarlet, 307 



as he was in his work, he did Joe Maiden no good as 

 a stallion. Shropshire Bluecap, on the contrary, 

 brought back the Cheshire General blood into the 

 kennel, and left some very strong short-legged hounds. 

 Vulcan by Osbaldeston's Vanquisher was a very 

 favourite hound with Sir Bellingham ; and he and 

 Wildboy, the sire of Woodman, were both puppies in 

 that draft of both packs, which Sir Bellingham took 

 from the Squire when he sold him his own on leaving 

 Quorn. Few hounds were so determined and savage 

 as Vulcan when he was put out, and on one occasion 

 when he was running hare, and Joe Maiden, who was 

 then the baronet's second whip, caught him a heavy 

 broad-sider for it, he flew at him and bit him right 

 through his boot and stirrup leather. 



And now we pass into Joe's old country, Cheshire Biue- 

 and those "conservative gorses" whose ^^p- 



glories the Arley Hall lyrics will not easily let die. 

 The Tarporley Club had but just made up its mind to 

 hunt fox, when 



** Bluecap and Wanton taught fox-hounds to scurry," 



and established its renown on Newmarket Heath. 

 Bluecap was a black-pied twenty-five inch hound, and 

 was reared at Waverham Wood. He was always at 

 the head of the pack, and to adopt the words of one 

 who remembered him when a boy, " We viewed him 

 with as much veneration as we did Wellington or 

 Blucher in after-years." Of his daughter Wanton, the 

 sharer of his triumphs, nothing further is known, ex- 

 cept that she was smothered in a fox earth, whereas 

 Bluecap died in the ordinary course of things in 1772. 

 The latter was such a hero, that when Cooper the 

 huntsman used to stop on the turnpike, to see his lad 

 who was at school at Gorstage Coppy, the boys always 

 rushed out with a bit of bread for him and the terriers, 

 and felt quite honoured by his acceptance of it. Again, 

 at holiday time, Cooper Senior esteemed it the highest 



