CHAPTER V.1886-1899.

This will of necessity be a short chapter, as I have received few letters referring to the period. A terribly large number of those who were officials of the pack served both in the South African and in the late War, with the result that comparatively few are still living. It was not a particularly successful period as regards sport. Many fewer hares were killed than in the previous ten years, owing chiefly to a deterioration in the pack. Probably this was the fault of Lock. He was getting older and fatter, and began to think more of saving himself trouble than of keeping up a good pack of hounds. One of the Masters, A. M. Grenfell, horrified him by making him feed the hounds on oatmeal. Moreover, there was a tendency to make the pack a dog pack and exclude all bitches. In 1891 only four old bitches remained. As A. M. Grenfell remarked: “Of course this is the best plan for Lock, as it saves him no end of trouble, but that does not mean that it is the best plan for the hunt. There ought, in my opinion, to be at least three couples of bitches to breed from.” But there was no uniformity of opinion, and, while one Master bred puppies freely, another would say that he did not believe in breeding at Eton. And so the pack really deteriorated and provided on the whole less sport than during the ten years previous to this time.

We do not wish to run Lock down. In a way he was an excellent kennelman. But, like many excellent men, he was old-fashioned and a trifle pig-headed, and several Masters had considerable difficulty in making him understand that he was there to do what they told him. However, he was wonderful out hunting, and, like old Mr. Mumford to-day, always seemed to be viewing the hunted hare. This is what an old follower says about him:

“He used to run a Turkish Bath up town somewhere opposite Devereux’s shop, and was enormously fat. He always carried a sort of policeman’s whistle out with the beagles, and generally seemed to be in the right place for viewing the hare. Both hounds and field had supreme confidence in him and always went straight for his whistle regardless of the horn.”

During the Mastership of T. W. Brand (now Lord Hampden) an amusing incident happened. He says: “We had a great run from near Langley Station to beyond West Drayton. We swam the Colne and came back by train without paying for our tickets. A bill was sent in to me for forty tickets. I asked how they had got at the numbers, and was informed that they found forty wet imprints of our seats in the carriages.

“There was a marvellous hound called Landlord, and I should say his was the greatest personality in connection with the Eton beagles while I was at Eton. He lasted for years and was a marvel. Of course the kennels were poor things, but the hounds were fit and hunted well, and I am sure it was a great advantage to be able to drop in there any time of day. I usually went there after 10.”

Here is a letter from Mr. G. Fenwick:

“In the year 1888 a hound van was first used, chiefly, I believe, because Lock, who then was kennel huntsman, had got too old and fat to stand the, sometimes, longish journeys home at night. I know that the masters and whips much appreciated the lift home after hunting. There also was a picture painted of the hounds that year, and I think a certain number of prints were sold, but what happened to it I don’t know. My recollection of the print is that the whole thing was so bad that I wouldn’t buy one, and I never have seen a copy since. It is so many years since I have seen the Eton country that I expect there have been very many changes. My chief recollection is of the soil and plough beyond Dorney, and the water which at times was over the fields below Aldin House, Slough, after heavy rains. I expect the same conditions still obtain. The most successful Master in my recollection, if one may take the number of hares killed in the season (in those days we only hunted in the Easter Half), was F. P. Barnett, who I think accounted for 17. He was Master in 1886, and in my opinion the finest runner over a really heavy country I ever saw.”

There were two important changes in uniform about this time. A. M. Grenfell introduced the white knickerbockers and white stocks, and W. R. O. Kynaston, now Hon. Secretary to Sir Watkin Wynn’s foxhounds, introduced the hunting caps ofbrown velvet. Another innovation was a trap for two guineas a week, which took the hounds to the meet and back, accompanied by the Master and whips. This, though much abused by theChronicle, was a good thing on the whole, especially as it enabled Lock to come beagling regularly, which he might not otherwise have been able to do.

A. M. Grenfell, now the most successful Master of this period, has sent me this letter:

“Campbell (E. G. Campbell, Master 1891) died of fever during the South African War. Ward’srégimewas chiefly remarkable for the purchase of the hound van. It was during a hunt when Ward was Master that I swam the lake at Ditton. The hare had crossed to the island and the hounds wouldn’t cross. So I very stupidly gave them a lead, and got a bad go of ‘flu,’ in spite of being dried in the kitchen by the Duchess of Buccleuch—aged about 90. Reggie Ward, my whip, died, but Bobbie and his brother (Sir John) are still alive. They succeeded each other as Masters.”

Grenfell’s successor, W. R. O. Kynaston, has also written to me. He says:

“There was one day I remember well, you will probably find all about it in theField, hounds changed once or twice, ran straight and right away from us. I sent ‘the field’ back in time for lock-up and went on with the whips after them. We got to hounds eventually when it was pretty dark; there was no sight of the van, and being near Richings Park, Mr. Meeking’s, went in there; Hume Meeking was whipping in that day. Had our dinner there, and took hounds back to Windsor in the guard’s van from Langley station, getting to Windsor station about 9 p.m. Attended the Head Master next morning, explained the hounds changed hares and went too fast to be stopped, was told I was responsible, and if we couldn’t stop the hounds must have smaller ones! Offered to be swished, but had all ‘bills’ stopped for the rest of the Half, instead, much to my disgust. Hope you will have a good season; best of luck to the Hunt.”

Here is a letter from Sir Edward Davson, third whip in 1894, which contains two anecdotes of beagling in the nineties:

“I do not know if you are dealing with the question of costume worn, but, when I first ran with the hounds, I think that the only distinction between the Master and whips and the field was that the former wore the existing beagle coat, otherwise wearing ordinary knickerbockers and colour caps. I think that white knickerbockers and white stocks were introduced about1892, and that the hunting caps were introduced by Kynaston in 1893.

“The kennels in my year were in a miserable part of the town, kept by old Lock, who also ran a Turkish Bath there, and my recollection of Lock was that he was to be found either up at the kill, wherever this might be, dressed in a brown knicker-bocker suit, or else wandering round his own place dressed only in a very brief pair of scarlet bathing drawers.

“I remember that there was an old lady who lived out Horton way who had a strong objection to hounds hunting round her place, as she declared that they disturbed her fowls and ruined the flower-beds in her garden. We were accordingly requested by the Head not to go near the place, and did our best to carry out instructions, but on one occasion, when we met at Datchet, the hare made a bee-line for the place, the hounds in close pursuit. As we drew near we discovered the lady in command of a force consisting of two gardeners armed with pitchforks, who endeavoured to ward off the attack. The hare, however, meant reaching what it evidently considered a sanctuary, and in the end there was a beautiful kill in the middle of the lawn, with the old lady rushing up and down screaming, and the two men brandishing the pitchforks but not knowing what to do with them, as they were evidently as reluctant to provoke bloodshed (except on the hare) as we were. A strategic retreat was then carried out, but our unpopularity became if possible even greater, and I expect that if we had had occasion to visit the lady again we should have found a battery of guns masked behind the laurel bushes.

“On another occasion I remember a great run we had from Dorney to Taplow, where the beaten hare endeavoured to elude us by getting through a palisade surrounding a private park. One of the whips promptly scaled the paling, another sat astride on the top and the third lifted up the hounds, with the result that in a short time we deposited the whole pack in the grounds. We did not at the time realise that the grounds were really the private pheasant preserve of an eminent J.P., but, as he happened at the moment to be taking a walk round to inspect his birds, he very soon made his presence known by addressing to us a volley of the most abusive language that I think up to then it had ever been our privilege to hear. Meanwhile the hounds were busy coursing the pheasants, and it was only on our pointing out that he was himself causing a prolongation of his troubles that we all were summarily ejected by the gate. A letter of complaint to the Head Master caused our appearance in Chambers a few dayslater, where we were suitably, if mildly, reprimanded by the Head and were also requested to write an ample letter of apology. This was duly done, and apparently so ably that it touched the heart of our host-by-compulsion, who promptly wrote that he would be glad to see us again, and invited the Master and whips to go and lunch with him. All therefore in this case ended well.”

The most successful Masters of this period were A. M. Grenfell, in whose season fourteen hares were killed in twenty-six hunting days, and G. Robarts, who in thirty hunting days killed fifteen hares.

Perhaps it would be interesting to some to give the opinions of the various Masters on Lock and his kennel management.

“I think Lock looks after the hounds pretty well, but a Master must show to Lock that he (the Master) intends to look after his pack, or Lock may be inclined to impose.”—A. M. Grenfell, 1892.

“Care ought to be taken with Lock, who does not look after the hounds satisfactorily, unless he is made to understand that he isnotboss of the show.”—H. B. Creswell, 1894.

“As regards Lock and the hounds, I think there is not much fault to find. The hounds were always in good condition, and I think he took a great deal of trouble with them. The way to manage him is to make him clearly understand that you are boss.”—G. Sanford Hodgson, 1895.

“Lock is very pig-headed!”—G. E. F. Ward, 1896.

“I entirely disagree with many former Masters, who say that Lock looks after the hounds badly, and I am sure that no beagles could have been fitter the whole season than these were. The only thing about him is that he is a bit pig-headed and always wants to feed the hounds on ‘greaves.’”—R. Milvain, 1898.

However, it must be remembered that having no paddock adjoining the kennels was a terrible drawback, and made the task of keeping hounds fit and the kennels clean infinitely harder than it would otherwise have been.

Lock must have been an extraordinary character. He used to say to the whips as they walked along the road: “Pop your whip, Sir; pop your whip,” every other minute without any reason whatever. Another habit he had was that of accusing any rustic he met at the end of any sort of a hunt of “picking up the hare.” He used to threaten the unfortunate individual with a whip, and the more boys he had round him at the time the more insistent he was.

Here is an incident of R. A. Ward’s Mastership:

“Hounds bustled her through Mr. Taylor’s covert and were close behind her, and would without doubt have repeated our feat of the previous week of killing three hares in one day, when bang! was heard followed by a volley of oaths from Lock, and we found a sportsman (?), Mr. Haynes by name, had shot our hare in front of the hounds. Lock immediately called upon the field to place our shooter in a duck pond which was near; but the latter thought discretion the better part of valour, making off as hard as he could go.”

Before we close this period there are two letters to be recorded, the first from Mr. C. M. Black, first whip in 1896.

“I have been looking over oldChroniclesand old photographs—in fact, to quote from J. K. S., I have been raking the glacier of years gone by, but really I am afraid my rake has not produced anything very exciting. I ran with the beagles for four seasons and was in the photograph for three years. I don’t know whether you still have a photograph, but in my time one was always taken of the Master, whips and a selection of the ‘first flighters,’ and when fairly junior one was very pleased at being asked to come up for the photograph.

“1894 was a fairly good season. H. B. Creswell was Master, the whips being T. D. Pilkington, who was killed in the South African War, Maurice Atkinson-Clark at my Dame’s (Hale’s), who died during the same war, and E. R. Davson. We had some very good runners that year, amongst them being G. A. Hodgson, D. O. Dunlop, G. D. Baird and Harold Chapman. The last-mentioned was also at my Dame’s. We always ran together and were generally near the front. He was fourth and I fifth in the School Steeplechase that year. In 1895 I turned the tables on him, for I was third to his sixth. He had left by 1896 when I won it. There were two ‘bills’ that year, the first to Wooburn, the Gilbeys’ place; I did not go there, but I went to the other—about the end of February—Maiden Erleigh, the Hargreaves’ place near Reading. We had an excellent day, killed one hare and should have killed another, but it ‘disappeared’ near the station after a fast run. I fancy some loafer picked it up! Bear Hargreaves, as he was called when at Mitchell’s, rode that day (he had left Eton), and I remember holding on to one of his leathers when I was getting beat. We were nobly entertained at the house afterwards, and it was a first rate day altogether, one of the best I can remember.

“In 1895 there was a meet near the beginning of the Half, and then not another till well on in February. It was the yearof the long frost after ‘the floods.’ I rowed in Trial Eights that year, so I missed the hunting in the latter part of the Half. G. S. Hodgson was Master, and A. W. F. Baird, D. O. Dunlop and Jerry Ward the whips that year. Hodgson and Dunlop were magnificent runners, and were famous for running a dead heat in the Mile.

“In 1896 Jerry Ward was Master. Poor fellow, he was killed in the late War. I was first whip, the others being Charlie Cavendish, killed at Diamond Hill in South Africa, and Timmy Robarts, of whom I have lost sight. I think we were very unlucky that season. So far as I can remember, we had a considerable number of days when there was little or no scent—owing to cold winds and rain. Jerry Ward made an excellent Master and he knew the country well. He and I had run for several seasons. He left hounds to themselves and let them work out their line, and did not continually lift them, as is so often done. We were all very keen, and I feel sure that with a little more luck we should have had a good season. As it was, I believe it was one of the worst on record. We were also very unlucky with fresh hares. I can remember fresh hares getting up in front of hounds on several occasions when we had our hunted hare done.

A DISAPPOINTING FINISH.

“The holes in the Stoke Park palings were a terrible stumbling block in those days; hares continually used to baffle us by reaching them and ‘safety.’ I don’t know whether they bother you still.

“I remember a good hunt being spoilt by a retriever dog at Langley Village. It chased our hare into some nursery gardens, in which we later found it again. A. D. Legard, Robin Lubbock, who died a few years later from a boating accident, Henry Burroughes and the two Pawsons were amongst the first flighters that year. I had to row again in Trial Eights, which cut my season short, and in the photograph of a meet I see A. D. Legardis carrying a whip—the famous Grenfell brothers are in that photograph too. Old Lock was going strong all the time, his knowledge of the country was marvellous, and he always turned up at the right place. He ran a Turkish Bath too. I used to visit it, as I was bothered with rheumatism, and the old fellow used to pommel you to bits after the bath.”

The other letter is from H. R. Milvain, Master of the Hunt of his own name near Alnwick in Northumberland. He hunted the E.C.H. in 1898, the last year of the High Street kennels.

“1898 was the year I hunted them, my whippers-in being Chapman, A. D. Pilkington and W. Hodgson. Hodgson was laid up for some time in March, and one of the Grenfells usually whipped in instead of him. I am sorry I have no note of the number of hounds I had, but remember had to buy a few at the beginning of the season from Wilton, the dealer at Hanwell—one of them in particular, ‘Windsor,’ was a very good hound. Up till and including my Mastership practically no hounds were bred, and at the end of the season they were taken away to walk by any fellows who could manage them, generally returning to kennel some time during the Christmas Half. I brought about six or seven couples up here during the Christmas holidays, December 1897, and hunted them here. Lock was still kennel huntsman, and hounds were kennelled in the town behind his shop, which wasn’t at all a good arrangement; old Lock did most of the walking out, etc. I think Grenfell, who followed me, got the new kennels built and got Champion as kennel huntsman. Lock by that time was getting old, and couldn’t get about very well. You will probably have the old official diary with accounts of all the hunts, but if not I’ve got it all down in my hunting diary and can give you any more information you want if you let me know. We had a good season and a fair number of hares in most parts of the country.

“The best days I think were Saturday, February 12th, Shepherd’s Hut. Found at once and ran fast for 55 minutes, killing in the open. Found again near river, and running up to Dorney Village turned back over Dorney Common and killed on river bank opposite Water Oakley in 20 minutes.

“Tuesday, March 12th, Shepherd’s Hut. Found Dorney Common, ran fast for 15 minutes, losing her on river bank near Water Oakley. Found again near Dorney and ran hard for 1 hour 10 minutes, having to stop hounds in the dark close to Bray Lock. Had some good days in Hargreaves Park country, too.”

Right up to this time the E.C.H. was rather a scratch concern.Rowland Hunt has established it on a proper basis, and many Masters had shown extraordinarily good sport. But proper kennels and a proper kennelman were needed, as was a definite standard of height, and in the next chapter we shall see how all these difficulties were solved by Francis and Riversdale Grenfell of glorious and honoured memory.

“HOLD HARD!”

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