New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-02
THE RURALLIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
XIV.
HUNTING AND HOUNDS.

and for systematzed hunting with hounds Eng
land is par excellence the country oil the sport IN
NO other Is il carried with such zeal, ana NJ SO
orsst cost and none is there where so many people
approye of or take part in it, Proof OF this Will he
foupd in the tact that throughout the kingdom
there are no less than $50 packs of hounds averag-
ing between thirty and forty couples each, To WIZ
Is of staghounds, III of foxhounds 1856 OF harrers
10 of beagles, with few packs of other hounds
Greyhouuds are also kept in large numbers all over
the country; while certain breeds of terriers are
trained as aids and adjuncts of the sport OF the
packs England of course possesses the majority
though Ireland up to the Land League agitation
had its full quota proportioned to population. Scot
land and Wales from their mountainous nature
are in a manner preeuded from this speciality oil
sport the former having in all only eight packs OF
foxhounds with one Of barriers and one of beagles
Some packs are the property OF and maintained
by private individuals: rich magnates to whom
money is of slight consequence when weighed
against the grandeur of owning and keeping up
mack of hounds These are few. however, most
being subscription packs" supported by regular
subscribers who are members of the Hunt with oc-
casional voluntary contributions from outsiders
But there is often deficiency of cash, with much
Atran in meeting the expenses of the year so much,
that now and then q pack falls to pieces the hunt
Is given up, and the hounds. with horses and other
belongings are sold of under the hammer. After
time fresh spirit of hunting zeal may spring mp in
the abandoned district. from new men OF wealth
coming to reside in ii, when an effort Will be made
to resusctate the hunt, which is generally success
ful Every year some packs are broken up and
Others either reestabisbed for the first time got
together.
tTbe cost of keeping pack of hounds varies
much. and is dependent on several circumstances. as
the number and character of the official stat of
management the frequency with which the pack
is hunted, and, to some extent its SIZE Each pack
has Master, presumptvely gentleman IN the
social sense of the word and the office is supposed
to be honorary-at least there is no fixed salary
attached to 1t. But as the Masters have sole con-
troll and expenditure of the fund, 1t is pretty well
understood that they recoup themselves not only
for ou,ays of money, but Tor time and trouble too
Most of them certainly do So though not all; some
being losers by it, for Plory's sake Ia all cases.
however. there is an understanding that the Master
shall not be at any expense for his mount; this
beinr provided for hun, and of the best. But the
usnal method is Before undertaking to hunt a
mack of hounds the Master that is to be demands
n certain fixed sum subscribed and put INTO MS
hands sufficient TO cover all expenses which he
also binds himself to meet With this money he
can deal as it seems best to him; expend 1t all ana
hunt the pack well or be stngy and save some of
it for himself. turning out the hounds IN an I'M
handsome manner There are even Masters OF TINS
kind. though not many.
After a pack has been established, kennels built,
hounds and horses Of the hunt purchased the chief
outlay is in the pay of the subordinate officials and
The keen of the horses as also that of the hounds
themselves In addition to the Master, every pack
has Huntsman and Whip; in the majority of cases
two OF the latter, and in noted hunts as the
Pytchley, Berkeley, Quorn and Belyoir three or
even more. Attached to such packs there is also
GKennel Huntsman" whose duty consists in look
ing after the hounds at home; and If foxhounds
there will be a numerous tribe OF earthstoppers,
needing to be remunerated fol the quantity curious
part they are called upon to play. All these men
receive "a handsome wage, the huntsman ana WHIPS
well earning it. Fer not only is their work hard,
but they must be the best of riders able to keep
well up to the hounds, and SO riskIng their necks
every day they out. AS most packs hunt from
three to five days a week. some even SIX 1T Will be
seen that the calling of either huntsman or whip
is no sinecure. The amount required foI the mann
tenance of an ordinary pack may be roughly eSt-
mated at 81 500 year but there are large estaD'
lishments where this is far exceeded and many
small ones conducted economically at much less
expense-say one-half for the average. OF course
these figures have nothing TO do with the cost OF
establishing the pack which calls for a consider
able outlay on the items above adduced. When
the hunting days are frequent Master, Huntsman
and Whips require several horses each; 50 making
the expense all the greater.
In the order of English rencrie stag-hunting might
be supposed to have first place, and 50 1T has theo-
retcally Practically, however 1T is rather looked
down upon as a sport chiefly INDUCED III by the
denizens of London OF the fifteen packs of stag
hounds more than half belong to the home
counties; that is. are kennelled and hunted within
q radius Of twenty or thirty miles around the
metropolis And the hunted animal is a half
domestcated deer, caught up out of some park,
taken in q covered cart to the place of meet" and
there let of, with few seconds grace given IL Tor
start when the hounds are laid on after AS a rule
the creature will run wildly and distractedly across
country afiording chase of ten or fifteen miles;
at length 10 bring up in some lake. or II may be
duck pond, there standing at bay, and perhaps
killing two OF three of the hounds. But sometimes
il obstinately refuses 20 leave the spot where I'M
carted or will lope oil in sulky, lazy way to
come TO again in the ditch, disappointing
the expectations of the " field" Not without
reason therefore is this sport sneeringly called
calf-huiiing"
The most noted OF these deer-huntng packs is
that know as Her Maiestys staghounds. generally
supposed to be the private property OF the Queen,
and kept up at her expense; an erroneous suppo-
sition. as they maintained at the cost OF the
Nation And no slight cost eiIher-their Master,
STYLED Master of the Buckhounds," being high
salaried official and big figure of court retinue;
while numerous array of understrappers is paid
out of the same pocket There is no grumblIng,
however as these hounds are admittedly hunted pro
bono ysblico. They are kennelled at Ascot Heath.
near Windsor and hunt twice a week during
the hunting their places of meet being
chiefly in the shires of Berks and Bucks, west of
London and at convenient distance from it to ac-
-conmodate the cockney Nimrods favorable day
with Her Majesty's" will show field of perhaps