ORGANISED STEEPLECHASING 37 



Dr. Hurman, however, was a fine horseman ; and was 

 probably one of the very earhest victims to wire 

 fencing. I knew him well as a boy, and about the 

 year 1859 he came to grief over a strand while hunting 

 with the Queen's, and sustained a bad wound in the 

 neck through falling across the wire. Anderson thought 

 a great deal of his riding and often gave the Doctor a 

 mount. 



After some time Anderson left Old Oak Farm, 

 migrating to the Vale of Aylesbury, building some 

 extensive and expensive stabling close to Bletchley ; 

 but as, for some reason or other, that place did not 

 suit him, he moved to a place near Weedon, where 

 Charles Clarke, who wrote as "The Gentleman in 

 Black," was curate. Clarke wrote a caricature sketch 

 of him under the name of John Thooughpin. His 

 hounds he took with him from the farm ; but they were 

 not much appreciated in the new sphere. 



Anderson's next move was to Botley, in the 

 Hambledon country, Hampshire, above all places in 

 the world. On the third day he inquired of his head 

 man, Sam Bilson, what he thought of the new depar- 

 ture. Sam's reply came at once: "Well, Sir, our 

 horses are a good deal too good for this sort of country, 

 and I think that we had better go back to the Vale ; " 

 an opinion upon which Anderson at once acted. After 

 a while, however, he returned to Hampshire, buying 

 Longstock of Captain Etwall, and at that convenient 

 house he kept his hounds and hunted hare and deer, 

 his son Captain Anderson and Captain Stewart whip- 

 ping-in to him. Before long he sold Longstock ; went 

 to South Court Lodge, just outside Linslade, Bucks, 

 and very soon afterwards gave up hunting to pass 

 most of his time in Paris. 



