THE OLD BERKELEY 129 



There was a person riding well to the hounds during this run, who 

 is deserving of notice, not only in honour of himself, but of the horse 

 he rode. His name is Bob Westall, many years huntsman to the 

 High worth Harriers ; and his horse, or rather galloway, was pur- 

 chased out of the Wantage coach in the year 1805 — now twenty 

 years ago ! Such is the natural goodness of this well-shaped little 

 animal — who is quite a Harlequin at his fences — that condition has 

 always been considered a superfluous appendage, and he has been 

 taken to the field in almost a state of nature. All the preparation 

 he had for a day's hunting for several years was a blast from 

 Bob's horn, which brought him to the gate to be saddled. He is 

 one of Nature's prodigies ; and she has not been very unkind to 

 Bob, for he has got some brains in his head, and knows well how to 

 get to hounds. 



Having never seen it when Mr. Codrington hunted it, I was 

 quite unconscious that I was living within fifty miles of so fine a 

 country as the one I have been speaking of. Consisting chiefly of 

 dairy farms, there is a very large proportion of grass, of course 

 favourable to scent ; and though the ground is apt to be deep, yet 

 the fences are practicable, and there is nothing to prevent a good 

 hunter being with hounds. Some parts of it resemble Leicester- 

 shire : there is the large grass field, the strong ox fence, the bridle 

 road, the guide post, the windmill, and here and there a good 

 rasping brook. One brook was pointed out to me, over which 

 Mr. Barry Price once shewed the whole field "the trick " 

 upon his famous horse Monarchy, though then riding eighteen 

 stone. 



The Old Berkeley country exceeds all others with which I am 

 acquainted in extent. It begins at Scratch Wood, seven miles from 

 London, and extends without any interruption to Cirencester in 

 Gloucestershire, upwards of eighty miles. 



The subscription to the Old Berkeley hounds does not exceed 

 700Z. per annum — the remainder being made up by Mr. Harvey 

 Combe and Mr. Marjoribanks. Mr. Tilbury finds six hunters and a 

 hack for the Oldakers for a given annual sum ; but they are never 

 short of a horse, as Mr. Combe has always a good stud. 



Having seen Mr. Combe three days in the field, and spent three 



£ 



