68 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



" Parson Seabrook," hunted pretty regularly with 

 all three packs, though his living was in the Belvoir 

 country. I have had many a good ride with him, 

 but never the privilege of hearing him in the pulpit, 

 where I was told he was very good. 



In the hunting field he was a man of few words, 

 though those few always to the point. I have prob- 

 ably already mentioned him, as he was a prominent 

 figure in my first few seasons, and was holding his 

 own five-and-twenty years later. He rode his own 

 horse in the Grand National under the name of 

 " Mr. C. Brook," but I can't at this moment re- 

 member the year, though I believe it was before he 

 came to Leicestershire, and about 1879. In his 

 prime he was a very powerful man on a horse, and 

 could squeeze unwilling performers into negotiating 

 obstacles that few other men could have got them 

 to look at. His hands were not too delicate, but he 

 made up for that deficiency by the strength of his 

 muscles, and he would frequently buy a hard-pulling 

 brute that few others wanted to ride. If anyone 

 reads these lines who hunted from Melton in those 

 days, they will remember the grey he rode for 

 several seasons. 



The dear old Parson was the cheeriest of com- 

 rades to ride a run with, in spite of the infliction of 

 jealousy ; but you had always to remember he was 

 out to beat you, and he hated anyone to get in front 

 of him. With two couple of hounds on the line, he 

 always considered the flag had dropped, and unless 

 restrained by the master, away he would go in hot 

 pursuit. Another little weakness of his was to 

 imagine that hounds were on ahead of those that 

 could be seen, and at the same time to persuade 



