130 MATCH BETWEEN HEAVY-WEIGHTS. 



those exceptional organisations in whose hearts there seems to 

 be no room for fear, and to whom the class of animal they ride 

 seems to be a matter of no material consequence.' A dis- 

 cussion arose as to whether ' Matt ' or Mr. Douglass was the 

 better man, and the outcome of it was that a match was 

 arranged between them, Mr. Oldacre to represent the Pytchley 

 and Mr. Douglass Tailby's Hunt. The match was for £2$ 

 aside, and a stiff course was mapped out on Mr. Paulett's farm 

 at Theddingworth, consisting of some fifteen natural jumps, 

 including a widened dammed-up rivulet, which made a water 

 jump seventeen feet wide. Mr. Oldacre rode I7st. I2lb., and 

 Mr. Douglass I7st. 51b., so that the latter had to put up 71b. 

 dead weight to equalise matters. All the fox-hunting com- 

 munity and the yokels turned up ^ for miles around. Mr. 

 Douglass made the running, ' Matt ' thinking he could beat 

 him for pace at the finish. ' Matt's ' horse refused at the 

 water, possibly owing to the cheers from the crowd at Mr. 

 Douglass clearing it in line style. This gave the last named a 

 commanding lead of some two or three hundred yards, and he 

 sailed home an easy winner, though only by a couple of 

 lengths. But for the fiasco at the water jump the probability- 

 is that the Pytchley yeoman would have been the victor in 

 this memorable contest. He was in truth a grand old man, 

 some years Mr. Douglass's senior, and has long since ' passed 

 in his checks.' By way of parenthesis, it may be mentioned 

 that the flags utilised on this occasion were the very same that 

 were used for the first Grand National Hunt Steeplechase at 

 Farndon Hill nine years previously, when Mr. ' Cherry ' Angell's 

 Bridegroom, ridden by Mr. E. C. Burton, beat a large field. 

 With these remarks we must bring our brief notice of the deceased 

 sportsman to a close. He was laid in his last resting-place at 

 the Market Harborough Cemetery on Monday. 



Take him for all in all, it may be doubted if we shall ever 

 look upon his like again. Brave, handsome, just, and generous, 

 he was the embodiment of every quality that commends itself 

 to admirers of physical manhood ; In short, just such a hero as 

 George Lawrence was wont to idealise in his novels. May the 

 earth rest lightly on him ! 



All the older members of the Billesdon Hunt will 

 remember ' Jonas ' Hunt. He was brother-in-law to old 

 Mr. Hay, of Bowden, whose assistance he frequently 

 invoked to get rid of the bailiffs, who were his constant 



