108 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1885 



CHAPTER YIII. 



SOME MEN AND OTHER THINGS — " BILL " POWER — DEATHS 

 OF LORD VERNON AND MR. BASS — REMINISCENCES OF 

 FORTY YEARS WITH THE MEYNELL. 



1883-1884. 



Mr. W. S. Power began hunting with the Meynell as a 

 boy, on a pony, living at Mavesyn Ridware with his parents. 

 Mr. W. Mynors of Little Ingestre took the greatest interest 

 in him, as is only natural in the case of an old sportsman and 

 a young one — let him ride his horses at exercise, and, later 

 on, in their gallops on the flat and over a country, besides 

 giving him many a mount with hounds. Then other people 

 took notice of him, and mounted him, till by degrees he 

 blossomed out into one of the leading spirits with the 

 Meynell about 1879, hunting two days a week, and 

 generally giving a good account of himself. 



About this time he bought the famous Jessie — a rather 

 plain Knight of Kars mare, with a rare back and loins, 

 and her hind legs well under her, and with just a bit of 

 a temper, like most of that wonderful jumping breed. 

 Never was there a better one than Jessie — a mare that 

 people talk of to this day. Frank Beers always said that 

 Destitute, dam of the famous Drake Duster, was the making 

 of him as a huntsman — and there never was a better — 

 and in like manner Jessie may have been the making of 

 " Bill " Power. He rode her in the wonderful run with 

 the North Statford, on March 29th, 1882— the best run, 

 he said, he had ever seen in his life. Next to it he put 

 the great run of two hours and a half with the Meynell 



