Related article: Gowran Grange was nearly thirty statute miles distant, after this great run over the cream of Meath and Kildare, that covered fully sixteen miles, but the Baron rode home on his hunter with the few who had survived the misfor- tunes and mischances of such a run, for he was always extremely well mounted on small, thick, blood horses, a couple of stone over his light weight, and their price in those days rarely exceeded ^"60 or £*]o. In a county of sports- men, of course, the Baron was most popular. He rode to be near his hounds, and hardly cared if, for a field or two, he was not absolutely next, and thus realised the lines which Mr. Frankland composed for Kilkenny : — No jealousy here mars the charm of a run, No jostling whilst going, no boasting when done ; Good fellows they're all, whether cautious or bold, And kindliness reigns 'twixt the young and the old. The perfect master, like the four-leaved shamrock, has not been yet discovered, and if the Baron had faults they leaned to the side of sport, for he hardly BAILY S MAGAZINE. [January knew when to leave off drawing, and may have been too hard on his hounds. He was a believer in very extended cubbing, and was hard at work in autumn in the Carberry coverts, that have hardly known a cry of hounds since his day. I think if the Baron had been a bachelor he would be the master of the Kil- dare hounds to-day, but he had met his fate in the beautiful Miss Zoe Burton, of Burton Hall, co. Carlow, sister to Lady Sutton, wife of the famous Sir Richard, and the family at Gowran Grange was already big, so, to the general regret, he resigned, and, lo ! in the whirligig of time, his eldest son, Colonel H. de Robeck, fills his place, and promises to be about as good an M.F.H. as his predecessor, Major St. Leger Moore. I do not think I ever saw the Baron ride even in a point-to-point race, but even within the last few years he has constantly been seen galloping wide of the competitors, and finishing close to them ; and only last season I noticed the field, like a flock of sheep, following each other over what seemed the smallest spot in a fence, whilst the Baron selected a larger but sounder spot, and thus got away from the crowd, which is some- times "madding." For a man who rode so straight as our sub- ject, the Baron had few falls, perhaps because he let his hunters' heads alone, a sine qud non in a bank country. Two of his coverts are amongst the best and surest in Kildare, namely, Silliatt Wood and Cry Help Gorse. He was not a boy when he took the Kil- dare hounds in 1862, and in 1898 must be rather old, but he is a young man still on a horse, and he still rides in all weathers to the fix- tures. Wh^te Melville has drawn a lively picture of a fox-hunter who, after marshalling the joys of his life, declares that he owes the best of them to horse and hound. The Baron has many pleasant retrospects besides hunting ones. Living amongst his own people like the Shunammite of Scripture, he has earned the love and esteem of all, gentle and simple. His sons are chivalrous, his daughters comely, and those who saw him " stewarding " at the last Dublin Horse Show must have recognised a hard worker, but the work was a labour of love. Baily being an organ of sport, we have not dwelt on " the Baron M (as he is universally styled) in the rdlc of farmer, county gentleman, magistrate or grand juror — in all he has given unqualified satisfac- tion. He is also H.M.'s Ranger of the Curragh, but his deputy, Colonel Frank Forster, Master of the Horse to the Lord-Lieu- tenant, does most of the little work there. 1*990 Hunt Servants — Their Benefits. Ever fearless, often careless, is the young hunt servant. From the nature of his calling ever liable to accidents and misfor- tunes, to be taken as they come, with little or no thought for the future. Luckily for him, however, there has been a kind thought engendered by the Nes- tors of the chase, which has Buy Zagam ripened into benefits which any set of men, whatever be their occupation, may well be proud. Wide-spreading as the adoption of the Hunt Servants' Benefit So- ciety has become, we have been painfully reminded within the last few days that it is not universally taken advantage of by those for whom it was intended. I allude to the death of Will Hurrell, whipper-in to the Puckeridge, through a fall in a very mysterious way, leaving a widow and child unprovided for. The poor lad had neglected to enrol himself as a benefit member of the Society which was Buy Zagam Online formed to save his family from want under the very circumstances that have un- happily occurred. In this case, doubtless, voluntary effort will to a great extent allay the widow's need, yet nevertheless we have here an object lesson which we may well lay to heart. Ought not every hunt servant on his en- gagement be encouraged, if not obliged, to join this Society in his own interest as well as that of the profession to which he belongs ? In putting this important ques- tion I may not be speaking directly to the hunt servants themselves, who seldom, I fear, read the pages of your Magazine, but I shall, at all events, be bringing the question before the eyes of their masters, and also before those of thousands of their friends and well-wishers, the hunting men and women of the United Kingdom. That by this means pressure may be brought to bear on many a young man who is donning the hunt uniform for the first time to induce him to provide for a rainy day, accident, or sickness. Perhaps also the Society may be induced to form a junior branch for its younger members, and increase their en- couragement to join it. If I take this opportunity of calling attention to this excellent Society, it is certainly due to it that I should give to the sporting world some particulars of its growth, its scope and present condition. For does it not form one of the pillars of hunting ?