EARLY DAYS IN LEICESTERSHIRE 29 



and extremely kind-hearted, in the hunting field 

 he was afflicted with the curse of jealousy, a disease 

 that has spoilt the pleasure of hunting for many 

 good men. 



Mr. Cheney of Gaddesby had given up hard 

 riding when I knew him, but though no longer a 

 member of the thrusting crowd, it was easy to note 

 the perfect horseman. Exceptionally good hands 

 and a seat almost entirely by balance, were, I think, 

 his chief characteristics. Mr. Tom Hey cock of 

 Qwston and " Parson " Wilkinson of South Croxton 

 were both under the turf before I arrived on the 

 scene, but my father always said they were very 

 hard to beat across country. 



" Parson " Bullen was a light of other days 

 when I remember him, but though he must have 

 been nearly eighty he still liked having a jump. 

 ** Spurting Bullen " described his methods of riding 

 to hounds ; but in extenuation it should not be for- 

 gotten that he was a poor man, and probably never 

 owned a sound-winded horse in his life, so that his 

 only hope of enjoying the excitement of a gallop 

 was to participate in the first few minutes. On a 

 good jumping whistler and not scaling much over 

 six stone, little Bullen could hold his own for a time 

 with the best of them. Report said that he would 

 always give the leading hound pride of place, but 

 was averse to allowing other members of the pack 

 to be in front of him. He began his career as a 

 curate in Lincolnshire, and even in those early days 

 had developed his dashing tactics of riding to 

 hounds. These methods are not looked on favour- 

 ably by masters and huntsmen, so that it is not 

 surprising to hear that the Lord Yarborough of that 



