530 

PRS OT ee 
A GROUP OF KENTUCKY FOX-HUNTERS 
of their goods and chattels as any, 
the first fox hounds that came into 
Kentucky and which, in a measure, 
furnished the basis for the stud whence 
have come many of the most noted 
hounds in the state to-day. On the 
ground that Mr. Watterson is not 
a fox-hunter this omission is excused, 
but it could be excused on no other. 
When one thinks of the vast strides that 
have been made in the breeding of fox 
hounds it seems a far cry to hark 
back to that period of history when the 
gaunt, long-eared, deep-chested black 
and tan hounds were such valuable 
assets of the sturdy pioneer. There 
are in Kentucky to-day, and hale and 
hearty, too, venerable fox-hunters 
whose first chase was with such 
hounds and who have had an active 
part in perfecting the breed of the 
Kentucky hound of to-day known, and 
most favorably known, wherever the 
fox is hunted. A 
Referring to Kentucky’s venerable 
RECREATION 
hunters one’s thoughts in- 
stantly turn to Col. Haiden C. 
Trigg, of Glasgow. diene 
are but few lovers of the 
chase who do not know this 
Nestor of the sport. Now 
well up in the eighties he 
truly is the dean of the Ken- 
tucky hunters and known 
from ocean to ocean. 
The following extract from 
a letter written by a neighbor 
of Colonel Trigg’s gives an 
interesting description of the 
colonel and_ his negro kennel 
man: “Colonel” free has 
hunted pretty nearly every 
day this Christmas week. 
Yesterday shortly after noon 
and following a light shower 
I heard a subdued ‘toot,’ ‘toot’ 
of the darky’s ‘hohn’—just 
enough to inform the hounds 
what was “‘gwine on’—and a 
few minutes later they rode 
out surrounded by the hounds 
and were away. Despite his 
years Col. Trigg sits his saddle 
like a riding master and they say here 
it is worth as much as one’s life to ride 
with him unless one is a hunter and 
rider of long experience. On their re- 
turn I made it a point to meet up with 
the darky on the pike and made him tell 
me the following details of the hunt :— 
“ “No, suh, we all did n’t kill um,’ said 
the darky. ‘But I bet y’u dat ol’ rascal 
ub er fox was so skeert he ain’t done 
a-tremblin’ yit. Dis ain’t de fust time 
wese run dat fox and ’taint er gwine 
ter. be de las’. Cunnel , Haiti 
bound to jump um ergain Sattaday and 
Ise goin’ ter chug up dat red devil’s 
hole an’ den, boy, dere’s gwine ter be 
some fur a-flyin’.’”’ 
A decided favor has been done me 
by selecting as the title for this article, 
“High Ground in Fox Hunting.” Ken- 
tucky is the highest point in the sport in 
America—dogs, horses, men and re- 
sults to score. No state barred. As 
its hounds represent the highest bred 
type of hounds all true fox-hunters feel 
