HEROES OF THE HUNTING-FIELD 121 



First on the list is Asslieton Smith, a man whose 

 name and memory will be respected as long as fox- 

 hunting flourishes in the British Isles. 



' Nimrod,' speaking of the excellence of Thomas 

 Assheton Smith as a horseman, says : ' From the 

 first day of the season to the last he was always the 

 same man, the same desperate fellow over a country, 

 and unquestionably possessing on every occasion and 

 at every hour of the day the most bulldog-like nerve 

 ever exhibited in the saddle. His motto was, " I'll 

 be with the hounds," and all those who have seen 

 him in the field must acknowledge he made no vain 

 boast of his powers. His falls were countless ; and 

 no wonder, for he rode at places which he knew no 

 horse could leap over. In addition to his powerful 

 seat, his hand is equal to Chifney's, and the advan- 

 tage he experiences from it may be gleaned from the 

 following expression : Being seen one day hunting 

 his hounds on Radical, always a difiicult, but at 

 that time a more than commonly difficult, horse to 

 ride, he was asked by a friend why he did not put a 

 martingale on him, to give him more power over his 

 mouth. His answer was cool and laconic : " Thank 

 ye, but my left hand shall be my martingale." ' 



From the same authority also come the following 

 anecdotes of Assheton Smith and his parent : 



' Mr. Smith (the father of the Tedworth squire) 

 once went on a visit to his son, then residing at 

 Quorndon, and keeping the hounds. He was mounted 



