178 EEMINISCENCES, ETC. 



had been breeding largely from Mr. Warde's kennel. His 

 hounds have a rough flinty and woodland country to con- 

 tend with, where they must hunt as well as run. In their 

 performances they are, like their master, second to none. 

 They are not hallooed and hustled about by whippers-in, 

 although the squire occasionally is very cheery when things 

 go well ; and that happens so often, that I hardly ever saw 

 a day with him when he was not cheery. His hounds, 

 however, are left to do their work pretty much by them- 

 selves, and I may venture to say, that no pack of hounds 

 in England, Scotland, or Ireland, can beat them in any 

 respect. They can show their speed at a racing pace over 

 the downs, and push along through the large woodlands and 

 over the flinty hills (which rattle like broken bottles) at a 

 splendid rate indeed ; the wonder is they do not cut their 

 legs ofil The squire hunts six days a week ; and therefore 

 has a large body of hounds in kennel, sometimes nearly a 

 hundred couples ; he breeds largely also, and judiciously ; 

 the result of great knowledge and long experience."* 



The number of foxes killed by Mr. Smith during his 

 mastership of hounds savours somewhat of the marvellous. 

 He assured a brother-sportsman that he had cut off" fifteen 

 hundred brushes with a pocket knife which he afterwards 

 lost in "West Woods. These brushes were his by right, 

 both as master of hounds and huntsman. 



Of many of the best horses in his stable we have already 

 spoken. The arrangements of his stud were in no wise 

 inferior to those of his kenneh He would have no man 

 about him who did not thoroughly know his business, and 

 his grooms exhibited the style and smartness of their 

 master. No man saw more rapidly the good points of a 

 horse, however out of condition he might be. This talent 

 enabled him often to purchase for trifling sums what 

 appeared " screws " to a less practised eye : the owners of 



* "The Management of Hounds," by Scrutator, p. 14. 



