LEICESTERSHIRE 5 



to them Mr. Meynell was uniformly civil, and even polite. He 

 has been seen more than once to pull out his watch at the place 

 of meeting, and to observe, that the time of throwing off was 



expired; but, he would say, "I see Jack 's horse here, and 



he is not come. It is Leicester fair this morning — he is a good 

 fellow, and we will give him a quarter of an hour." I need not add 

 that he alluded to a sporting grazier, who, he knew, was obliged to 

 attend' the fair ; but at those fairs the cattle market is early in the 

 morning — a fai'mer can do his business there, and attend hounds 

 afterwards. Ye masters of fox-hounds, bear this in mind ! This is 

 the way to preserve a country ! ! 



The last time I saw Mr. Meynell in the field was, I believe, nearly 

 the last time of his being wdth hounds : it was after Lord Sefton had 

 taken to them. We met at Thrussington Wolds, a seat of Lord 

 Ferrers, and found directly in the plantations close to the house. 

 We went well away with our fox for about two miles, and thought 

 we were in for a run ; but he w^as met and attacked by a shepherd's 

 dog, which grappled with him : he disengaged himself, and went 

 on ; but in a few fields more we found him drowned in a canal 

 which he attempted to cross ; so that no doubt the cur dog had 

 injured him. I observed Mr. Meynell very forward in this short but 

 sharp burst, frequently cheering as he went. As we were drawing 

 for a second fox, I witnessed a remarkable instance of the quickness 

 of his ear — more remarkable at his period of life, when that wonder- 

 ful organ is seldom so correct. The hounds were in a small covert, 

 about one hundred yards from the place where he stood, which 

 commanded a view of it. Lord Sefton went with the hounds, and 

 stood close to the gorse. A hound spoke, but he spoke cautiously. 

 There was no cheer to him, so he was suspected ; — but " one word " 

 (as we say) from a hound in a Leicestershire covert sets every man on 

 the alert for a start. It is like the sound of a bugle to prepare for the 

 charge, and on some nerves has much the same effect. However, 

 in this case the alarm was false ; there was no fox ; and Lord Sefton 

 rode up to Mr. Meynell and asked him what hound spoke in the 

 covert. " I think it was Concord," said Mr. Meynell. " It was not 

 Concord," said Lord Sefton; "he was at my horse's heels." — "It 

 was either Concord or Caroline " (brother and sister, and their first 



