42 REMINISCENCES OF 



At that time Lord Loughborough had a race-horse 

 called "Shamrock". He was very queer tempered, 

 and difficult to ride. Percy Williams was one of the 

 best gentleman-riders of the day, and won many races 

 on him. He ran at Cupar Races, when the Caledonian 

 Hunt took place there in 1839, for the last time. 



Percy Williams was a capital officer, but he was 

 always on leave when he could get away. That year 

 he went to shoot at Glendye, Sir James Carnegy's, 

 and took old Martin, Lord Loughborough' s keeper, 

 with him. 



Tom Whalley was a charming man, very clever, 

 full of fun and wit, rather sarcastic, and a most fas- 

 tidious gentleman. His brother was a clergyman 

 near Northampton. He remained in the regiment 

 about three years after I joined, and when he retired 

 I got his troop. 



I bought a capital old horse from Clark called 

 " Charlie," a grand jumper. One day I was riding 

 him with the Linlithgow and Stirlingshire Hounds, 

 galloping along the side of the canal at Drumshore- 

 land Wood. A heap of stones was lying in the way 

 and he turned round and jumped into the canal with 

 me. We got to the other side. I got my arm on 

 the coping-stone and bundled out, turned the reins 

 over his head, and he jumped clean out. I was wet 

 up to my neck. 



I was set to drill and do the " goose step " with 

 John Spicer, and got on so fast with it that the 

 sergeants thought I had been in the German service. 

 The riding-school was no trouble to me. 



