266 The Post and the Paddock. 



knew the tones of three thousand pickpockets' voices, 

 was marvellously accurate. In one instance, when he 

 was quite " dark," he heard a gentleman, who had not 

 seen him or hunted with him for twenty seasons, speak 

 to Lambert at the meet, and he immediately hailed 

 him by name, and gave him a most cordial welcome 

 back to the Cottesmore. The leviathan stud at Cottes- 

 more, where every horse had its price, was principally 

 replenished by drafts from his tenants' paddocks in the 

 north, who were never allowed to lack a well-selected 

 hunter-sire ; and Julius Caesar, who would have been 

 perfection if his feet had been quite sound (the failing 

 point of too many of his stock), stood at Fryatt's 

 Melton Paddocks for many years, and had even a larger 

 average of visitors than Belzoni. The produce, which 

 made great prices, were large, and had remarkably fine 

 tempers, an eulogy which could not generally be passed 

 on the pride of Lutterworth. This illustrious hollow- 

 backed son of Blacklock, who was originally bought 

 for 450 guineas, after he broke down at Northampton, 

 spread his name broadcast over the hunting-fields of 

 England, for about twenty seasons ; and his list of mares 

 for one season alone, when he was in his prime, num- 

 bered about 1 20. His hunters are after one type 

 big plain browns with sour tempers, and still sourer 

 forge-hammer heads ; fine propelling quarters, light 

 and leggy at four, but " growing down " after that 

 period, improving vastly between five and seven, and 

 not in their prime till about eight. Still it is said that 

 a great many of them go lame, and invariably in the 

 same foot. If Mr. Lucas had done nothing but buy 

 Belzoni, he would have richly deserved the 5OO-guinea 

 testimonial he received at Rugby, in 1855, from three- 

 hundred friends. The Belzoni stock have always a 

 wonderful dislike to medicine, and it used to take Mr. 

 Lucas nearly three-quarters of an hour to get a ball 

 down the old horse, whose trick of always striking 

 with his off front foot on these occasions has been 



