6 NIMROD'S HUNTING TOUR 



year), replied Mr. Meynell. In five minutes the point was decided. 

 Raven, the huntsman, came by us with the hounds. Lord Sefton 

 asked him the question. " Concord, my Lord," was his reply. 



Mr. Meynell's eye to a hound was not less quick than was his 

 ear. It has been asserted that on seeing a pack of strange hounds 

 drawn to feed, he could call almost all of them afterwards by their 

 names. 



Leicestershire never witnessed more splendour than during the 

 period of Lord Sefton's hunting it. The price of horses (and he set 

 the example) was never higher than in his time, and, I conceive, 

 will never be so high again. From five to eight hundred guineas 

 was a common price for a hunter that could go forty minutes best 

 pace, and even more was asked and given. Mr. Lorraine Smith had 

 a magnificent horse, called Hyacinth, got by Hollyhock. He asked 

 a thousand for him, and I believe Lord Sefton offered nearly all the 

 money. He had, afterwards, the misfortune to break a blood-vessel 

 under Mr. Smith, and died in the field. His Lordship, of course, 

 for his great weight, was obliged to get the best of horses, and price 

 was only a secondary consideration : the first was, to procure the 

 horse that could carry him ; and such animals as his Plato, Rowland, 

 and Gooseberry, were at any time difficult to find. He had 

 always three out each day for his own riding. Young Raven (son to 

 the huntsman) rode one of them, and the other was ridden by a 

 groom, both good horsemen, and riding in his Lordship's stirrup- 

 lengths. One of them was always close to him, so that the moment 

 he perceived symptoms of distress, he jumped upon the second 

 horse. The third was kept at a proper distance, going easily to 

 himself, till an opportunity presented itself of getting up to his 

 Lordship, in case he also should be wanting. Lord Sefton had one 

 of the best grooms that England could produce. His name was 

 Potter. His horses were always liigh i)i flesh, hut strong in work, 

 which is the perfection (if not the sine qua non) of condition for 

 horses that carry high weights. Good flesh is strength. His Lord- 

 ship had a quick eye to hounds, and his nerves were very good, 

 though he avoided timber if possible. Considering his weight, 

 however, he went brilliantly over a country. 



With all these advantages, it is generally believed that he found 



