t occasion.

As a man to ride he was a complete master of his art. There was
nothing which a horse could do with a man on his back, which Daly
could not make him do; and when he had ridden a horse he would know
exactly what was within his power. But there was no desire with him
for the showing off of a horse. He often rode to sell a horse, but
he never seemed to do so. He never rode at difficult places unless
driven to do so by the exigencies of the moment. He was always quiet
in the field, unless when driven to express himself as to the faults
of some young man. Then he could blaze forth in his anger with great
power. He was constantly to be seen trotting along a road when hounds
were running, because he had no desire to achieve for himself a
character for hard riding. But he was always with his hounds when he
was wanted, and it was boasted of him that he had ridden four days a
week through the season on three horses, and had never lamed one of
them. He was rarely known to have a second horse out, and when he did
so, it was for some purpose peculiar to the day's work. On such days
he had generally a horse to sell.

It is hardly necessary to say that Black Daly was an unmarried man.
No one who knew him could conceive that he should have had a wife.
His hounds were his children, and he could have taught no wife to
assist him in looking after them, with the constant attention and
tender care which was given to them by Barney Smith, his huntsman. A
wife, had she seen to the feeding of the numerous babies, would have
given them too much to eat, and had she not undertaken this care,
she would have been useless at Daly's Bridge. But Barney Smith was
invaluable; double the amount of work got usually from a huntsman
was done by him. There was no kennel man, no second horseman, no
stud-groom at the Ahaseragh kennels. It may be said that Black Daly
filled all these positions himself, and that in each Barney Smith
was his first lieutenant. Circumstances had given him the use of the
Ahaseragh kennels, which had been the property of his cousin, and
circumstances had not enabled him to build others at Daly's Bridge.
Gradually he had found it easier to move himself than the hounds. And
so it had come to pass that two rooms had been prepared for him close
to the kennels, and that Mr. Barney Smith gave him such attendance as
was necessary. Of strictly personal attendance Black Daly wanted very
little; but the discomforts of that home,