ii8 REMINISCENCES OF 



was accepted to hunt the country three days a week 

 on a subscription of ;^ 1,500. I sent in my papers 

 and retired from the regiment, and cut off my mous- 

 tache. I engaged Will Davies as kennel huntsman ; 

 Stephen Shepherd, second whip ; Trueman Tuffs, 

 second horseman. Sir R. Sutton took the Quorn 

 the same year I took the Atherstone. 



On the 30th of April, 1847, the sale took place 

 of the Quorn Hounds (Mr. Green of Rolleston's) at 

 Billesdon, and we all went over from Atherstone on 

 George Moore's coach. G. Moore bought a few 

 couple of young hounds, which he gave to the Ather- 

 stone, among them a red dog called " Firebrand ". 

 After the sale we dined at the " Bell " at Leicester, 

 and had a very jovial party. 



A few days after I went over to Melton. There 

 was a match across country between Stirling Craw- 

 furd and Jack Leslie (afterwards Sir John). Leslie's 

 horse, '* Charon," looked in the most beautiful con- 

 dition, and on asking who trained him, I was told his 

 own groom, John Whitehall, and that he was going 

 to leave as Mr. Leslie was not going to hunt next 

 year. I engaged Whitehall on the spot — one of the 

 best grooms I ever saw — and he died in my service 

 in the Pytchley country, 1865. 



I got a little house in the village at Witherley, 

 and also engaged Colvile's housekeeper. Old Robert 

 Thurlow, formerly huntsman to Mr. Applewaite, kept 

 the Blue Lion Inn in the village close by, and had 

 capital accommodation for any friends. 



At the beginning of the season my two subs., 



