68 REMINISCENCES OF 



orders to me were, " Inspect every party yourself, 

 and attend to the shoeing ". They paraded at nine 

 o'clock, so I cut out before breakfast and sometimes 

 back to bed. 



Lord Rosslyn lived in Grosvenor Place and rode 

 down to Hounslow almost every day. My rooms 

 were on the ground floor, and sometimes he tapped 

 on the window with his whip before I was up and 

 called out, "Do you want anything?" "Corporal 

 Home's horse did not trot on escort yesterday." 

 " Send him back, and I'll send you another." 



My first escort was from Buckingham Palace to 

 Claremont, about fourteen or fifteen miles. I had a 

 great big high stepping bay horse called "Cannibal," 

 and all my escort were about the same pattern. We 

 were drawn up at the gate of the palace facing in- 

 wards, six men on each side, officer on the Queen's 

 side, sergeant on the other. When the carriage left 

 the palace door two first men moved off, then about 

 a hundred yards behind them four more closely in 

 front of the outriders. When the carriage came the 

 officer saluted and took his place, the sergeant on the 

 other side. The Queen looked me over from the top 

 of my plume to the soles of my boots. The other 

 six closed in close behind the carriage. It was a 

 Saturday afternoon, and pretty hot in those days. 

 We wore overalls, trousers and Wellington boots ; 

 and the blood ran through the knees of my overalls 

 before the end of the journey. Our lancer caps 

 were an awful weight and top-heavy. 



The carriage horses were changed on the top of 



