COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 119 



John Madocks and Felton Hervey, both retired from 

 the service and came to live with me. The town of 

 Atherstone and the village of Witherley were full of 

 fox-hunters and my old brother officers — Archibald 

 Little, 9th Lancers; Jack Dallas, iith Hussars; 

 Sam Hobson, 17th Lancers; W. Wilson ("The 

 Squire"), afterwards my successor as master; W. 

 Owen, Royal Dragoons ; Sam Dickson, W. Gore 

 (Lord Harlech) and General Laurenson, 13th Light 

 Dragoons. 



The first hunt took place at five o'clock a.m., 4th 

 September, at Sutton Ambion ; found lots of foxes ; 

 ran till near one o'clock, and caught nothing. Thirty- 

 five couple of hounds out (too many); much cut up 

 with brambles. 



Sutton Ambion belonged to a fine old gentleman 

 with one arm. On going there one day there was a 

 field of wheat standing next the covert, and I hesi- 

 tated about drawing the wood. He said, ** Put in 

 your dogs, sir, put in your dogs," and he set a lot of 

 men to work and cut the field down while we were 

 there. He was presented with a silver cup for his 

 constant and liberal support in preserving foxes. 



Rugby country, 1 3th November. — Met at Church- 

 over ; rode " Crusader " and " Landseer " ; found at 

 Coton Gorse ; had a good gallop and killed at the 

 mill at Lutterworth in the Pytchley country. Lots 

 of people out. Mr. W. Coke, who always rode in 

 white fustian trousers and a red frock coat — a fine 

 old gentleman, "Coke on the pony" in Saddle's 

 song. Sir Richard Sutton came from Quorn. He 



