HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS. 47 



the Vice-regal Lodge, Dublin, he crept quietly 

 up to her and said : " Do you know you have 

 dropped your bustle ? " 



But we must return to Gaddesby Sundays. 

 Another visit we paid was to Mr. Cheney's 

 famous herd of shorthorns. There was great 

 tribulation when a " Duke of Geneva " was 

 dying of inflammation of the lungs : kettles kept 

 boiHng day and night, and Mr. Cheney's own 

 doctor in constant attendance. The bull, I 

 believe, was worth thousands. 



Shorthorns are most uninteresting beasts, 

 and I can't say I appreciated that part of my 

 visit. The herd was second only to the late 

 Duke of Devonshire's. 



There was tremendous excitement when 

 the Prince of Wales (the late King) was ex- 

 pected to visit Gaddesby, and a gold dessert 

 service was bought for the occasion. Poor 

 Mr. Cheney found himself in a great fix. Only 

 cream of the cream ever entered the doors. A 

 fair lady arrived at the meet ; he did not wish 

 to be unkind, but neither did he intend to ask 

 her in to the house, so he solved the difficulty 

 by presenting her with a lovely bunch of roses. 



At the time I am writing of, Mr. Copeland 

 was Master and Tom Firr huntsman. I shall 

 always look back to that period with profound 

 veneration for Tom Firr ; he was a fine hunts- 

 man, perfect horseman, and his voice was worth 

 going a mile or two to hear. Amongst his 

 many accomplishments he was a poet, and here 

 are some of the lines he wrote : — 



