ANCIENT HISTORY 35 



he lacked that delicacy of touch which is essential 

 to the comfort of a horse. 



A little later, but well within the eighties, Count 

 Zbrowski was always in the front rank when big 

 fences wanted jumping or wide ditches negotiating. 

 He was an exceptionally fine horseman in every 

 sense of the word, and though he was rather at 

 sea for his first year, he very soon trained his eye 

 to watching hounds. He introduced the red ribbon 

 into Leicestershire as the sign of a kicker, and I 

 remember being repeatedly asked what it was for. 

 This will seem curious to those who have only com- 

 menced hunting lately, and have been accustomed 

 to look on the ribbon on a horse's tail as a recognized 

 danger signal. About this period the loth Hussars 

 were strongly represented in Melton, and when 

 hounds ran fast, you might be pretty certain there 

 was one of that regiment in the front rank. Now 

 they all seem to have drifted away into other 

 countries, and the Shires see them no more ; but for 

 aught I know they are generals now, and the grey 

 hairs are creeping into the brown. The two 

 Bentincks, Lord Henry and Lord William, were at 

 that time members of the select band of hard riders 

 from Melton, but the young brother, Lord Charles, 

 had not then developed the talent for riding to 

 hounds which he has since shown. I should have 

 no hesitation in saying that the youngest is now the 

 best of the family. I can remember poor Edmund 

 Leatham riding home from hunting one night, saying 

 to me, " I'm afraid that young Charlie Bentinck 

 will never ride like his brothers ; he does not seem 

 to have any dash." I quote this conversation 

 merely to show that parents need not despair of 



