1 62 Reminiscences of a 



run that season ; this was quite one of the best days I ever 

 saw in that part of the country. Old Tom Place, the " darkie " 

 of Bishop Auckland, and our steeplechase rider and show- 

 ring man, was out that day on a good old black horse 

 called " Cocoanut," which he used to run at the local hunt 

 race meetings. 



The very next day hounds were out, there was some 

 grand sport from the Coxhoe meet.f A good run in the 

 morning of twenty or twenty-five minutes and blood was 

 followed by other short runs ; but we found a fourth fox at 

 Camp whin and had a brilliant fifty minutes from Camp 

 whin, below Fishburn, along the valley, by Carrsides, Humble- 

 knowle, through Whin House belt, and up to Murton Blue 

 House whin. I think Mr. John C. Straker, now M.F.H. of 

 the Tynedale hounds, was out, and enjoyed this also very 

 much, telling me at the time that it was the best gallop 

 that he had seen that season. 1 forget what horse he was 

 riding, even the colour, but I know that he was well mounted 

 for he went thundering well ; and I also fancy the late Mr. 

 John Hett, father of the gentleman rider, was out on a dark 

 brown horse. He was a fine horseman, with good hands, 

 a real good man on a young horse. This day I rode old 

 " Mat." Claxon was carried equally well by the " Nun," 

 his favourite grey mare, one of the cleverest that ever 

 looked through a bridle ; she belonged to Sir William 

 Eden, who sold her to Mr. Gordon Cunard, after his first 

 mastership ; he, later on, sent her up to Tattersall's, and 

 Mr. Ord bought her to carry Claxon, for little money. She 

 was as clever as any cat, and you could not get her down, 

 put her at what you would. Claxon was never off her back 



t November 14th, 1881 ; alluded to in Chapter I\'. 



