130 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



personally directed the selling. He spoke feelingly 

 of "auld acquaentance," and a blue bullock-van 

 with "The Cumberland Ox" in six-inch letters on its 

 side, did duty, according to DIXON, "as catalogue 

 and counting house." JOHN CHARGE, then bowed 

 and feeble under the weight of years, was in the 

 throng, and, leaning on the arm of a friend, told of 

 how "nine and forty years before he had joined to 

 buy a leg of Comet," having been one of the four 

 to pay 1,000 guineas for the bull at the Ketton 

 sale. LADY PIGOT, from her brougham, sent in the 

 300-guinea bid that took Stanley Rose, the highest 

 priced lot of the day. 



Another fine type of these wonderful English 

 farmers, although belonging to a somewhat later 

 era, was JONAS WEBB, of Babraham in Cambridge- 

 shire, one of the recognized builders of the beautiful 

 Southdown breed of sheep. You will find his por- 

 trait also in the OGILVIE lot. Mr. WEBB was another 

 man of decided originality. It is indeed extraordi- 

 nary that England should have produced so many 

 big-brained men capable of mapping out independent 

 courses, and following up schemes of breeding, 

 usually along BAKEWELL lines, leading to fame and 

 sometimes fortune. One can readily imagine what 

 zest must have animated those sessions of the long 



