COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 177 



George Loch's mother were sisters, and we used to 

 be great friends. 



" Jack is full of plans to keep me here for a month, 

 and I should like to stay for Friday's hunt, as I have 

 seen nothing yet, and we are going to ride up to 

 Oare, Nicholas Snow's, to-day, and dine with the 

 Kinglakes. 



" The hounds meet at Triscombe Stone, Friday. 

 There is a church to be opened at Minehead which 

 the Rev. has to attend. My idea is to go on to stay 

 with Froude Bellew, near Dulverton, that night, and 

 after hunting, Friday, go to Taunton, and get home 

 as soon as I can. The Rev. proposes to ride from 

 here to Triscombe, and lead my horse (pretty well 

 at his age) rather more than twenty miles. He is 

 rather in trouble with the clergyman who has taken 

 his duty, who is not satisfied, as there is no fruit for 

 the children ; so they have split, and he wants some 

 one, or must go home for next Sunday. On Friday 

 he goes to his old friend, Rev. W. Luttrell, at 

 Ouantox Head. 



" I slept in a butcher's house, Dick Riddler, a 

 keen stag-hunter. The rooms so low I can just stand 

 up, but clean as new pins ; the windows so near the 

 ground that I had to sit on the floor to shave. 

 " Love to all the babes, 



" Yours affectionately, 

 "J. A. T." 



We rode to Nicholas Snow's, " Stars of the 

 West," and got him to go out cub-hunting. He 



VOL. II. 12 



