COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 129 



was a very tall man, and they fitted fairly, but I burst 

 them both across the knees before I got home. 



Last day of the season, 5th April. — Killed 

 twenty-one and a half brace foxes, twelve brace to 

 ground. 



At the end of my first season Will Davies left. 

 He had very bad health. He took a small farm 

 near Witherley, but did not live very long after. I 

 engaged Stephen Goodall ; he was then first whip 

 to Sir John Power with the Kilkenny Hounds. He 

 had commenced in Fife in 1842 under Walker, He 

 was a tall thin man, a first-rate horseman and good 

 whip. He was afterwards with Mr. Lane Fox, and 

 in the V.W. H. country. 



Season 1848-49. — Commenced on the 31st 

 August at Weddington Wood. 



Tom Smart, the horse-dealer at Slough, sent me 

 a message that he had a horse to suit me. Mr. 

 Assheton Smith had bought him and returned him. 

 He was a very nervous horse ; if you touched his 

 side with your toe in mounting he would jump away. 

 I went to Slough to see him. He was a great fine well- 

 bred horse, and old Smart had sent him out with the 

 Queen's Hounds the day before to make him quiet. 

 He said, " He's hardly fit to show, but get on him 

 and try if you can knock the wind out of him ". I 

 got on at the stable-door, which was in a ploughed 

 field, and galloped away. He could gallop well, and 

 was a real good-winded horse, so I bought him for 

 ^130. He could kick me off whenever he liked. I 

 called him " Chloroform ". 



VOL. I. 9 



