124 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. 



course. And the hounds ran on, a great rinsf, for 

 Kedleston, and just before they got there there was 

 some tremendous high timber. Mr. Meynell Ingram 

 had a go at it first, and got over it, hitting it hard all 

 round ; the Sweep jumped it clean, and Mr. Bass gave 

 Jack Leedham half a crown to go and measure it the 

 next day. It was just six feet two inches. Nothing ever 

 stopped Mr. Bass ; he never knew where he was, but 

 just went where the hounds did. About Mr. Hamar jump- 

 ing the Sapperton brook in cold blood on a six hundred 

 guinea one ? No, I don't remember anything about that. 

 We had a six hundred guinea one once — a poor one he 

 was, too. A thoroughbred horse of Lord Wilton's, called 

 Freetrade. Mr. Bass used to buy a good many horses 

 from Darby of Rugby. He once brought down six for 

 two days' hunting. They met the first day at Chartley. 

 I was riding a grey to show to Admiral Meynell. Before 

 long down he comes on his knees on the road. I told 

 Darby, and he was in a nice way about it. The horse is 

 in no condition, I said. He was beat. Jack Leedham 

 rode another. He often rode Mr. Bass's new ones, just to 

 try them. A fine rider Jack was, but he always said 

 Tom w^as a better. I think he was, too. Well, when the 

 run was over, Jack came to me, and said, ' You'd better get 

 this horse home; he is regularly beat. He's in no sort 

 of condition.' I did have a job to get him home — had to 

 drive him in front of me. He ran right into a gate, and 

 I found he was blind. He was down as soon as they'd 

 dressed him, and it was a long time before he got up 

 again, and the soles of his feet and his frogs came off. 

 You were asking about Grasshopper? He was a grand 

 horse; could jump anything, but Mr. Bass never liked 

 him. The way he came to ride him in the great run of 

 1868 was this. They checked at Brailsford. Mr. Bass 

 was riding Derby— one of his best ; and he said, ' I think 

 it is about over. You may as well take this horse home.' 

 But it had only about begun. That was how he came to 

 ride Grasshopper. He got to the end, though, and he and 



