COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 323 



The kennels were very confined, and in the 

 village at Brixworth ; only one field to walk out in ; 

 a nice house for the huntsman at the end of the 

 field. The stables were in a courtyard, with a dung- 

 pit in the middle, and on frosty mornings it was full 

 of fog from the steam from the pit. There were no 

 drains in the stables, but a grating and a cesspool 

 in the middle of every stall ; but still the stables 

 were very healthy. I soon removed the dung-pit 

 to the other side of the road, and the committee 

 built a house for Whitehall in the yard. 



The hounds belonged to the country. Percy 

 Williams came and looked over them in June 1864. 

 The hounds were good looking, with nice necks and 

 shoulders, but very light of bone, especially the 

 bitches. In chase they were excellent, and not a 

 bit afraid of the horses, but with a bad scent they 

 were not diligent. In gorse cover, when they found, 

 after running a few times round it, they would stand 

 at a " smeuse " in the fence till holloaed away, then 

 rush out, race the horses, and in two fields would be 

 all together in front. 



John Whitehall had charge of the horses at Brix- 

 worth ; John Pye had charge of those at Pitsford, 

 two carriage horses, " Charm " and a hack. 



I brought from Fife " Highlander," a grand 



horse i6'3f high; could jump anything and go on 



all day. " Kathleen," a capital mare ; kicked every 



stride when ridden on the way to cover. " Dentist," 



a tremendous horse to plunge ; when any boy came 



applying for second horseman's place, he had a ride 



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