1 84 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



was in the field ; to the Lords Yilliers, Maynard, Charles 

 Somerset, Craven, and I'oley ; to the Honourable George 

 Germaine, the Honourable Robert Grosvenor, the Honour- 

 able Joshua Vanneck, the Honourable Berkeley Craven, 

 and the Honourable Martin Hawke ; to Sirs John Shelley, 

 Robert Langley, Henry Peyton, and Stephen Glynne ; to 

 Messieurs Cecil Forester, Thomas Cholmondeley, Loraine 

 Smith, Childe of Kinlet, Charles Meynell, Harvey Aston, 

 John Musters, Thomas Assheton Smith, Lindon, Langton, 

 John Hawkes, John Lochley, and Jacob Wardell. 



But he was nearly lost in admiration at the splendid 

 sight that presented itself. In addition to the gratifica- 

 tion of seeing what was considered the crack pack of fox- 

 hounds of all Europe, in the crack country, with John 

 Raven as their huntsman, of whom he had heard such a 

 character from Mr. Somerby, together with the above- 

 named galaxy of sportsmen, and at least 150 well- 

 mounted men besides, several of whom were eminent men 

 in this line independently of all this, I say, he saw no 

 less than six splendid teams the noble master's amongst 

 them that had been driven to cover by their owners, as 

 was very much the fashion of those highly aristocratic, 

 as well as " truly sporting days." And why should I 

 not name them ? They were the teams of Lords Sefton 

 and Foley ; of the Honourable Martin Hawke ; of Sirs 

 Henry Peyton and Stephen Glynne ; and of Mr. Harvey 

 Aston. In fact, he had now before his eyes, what were, 

 in those days, popularly considered, hounds, horses, men, 

 and country not to be equalled in any part of the world, 

 and that, it must be allowed, is saying a great deal. 



Although foxes in Leicestershire were not at this time 

 so plentiful as they are at present, the amount of noses on 

 the Quorn kennel door averaging little more than fifty 

 brace, and this with, perhaps, the best hounds in England, 

 a smart little empty vixen went gallantly away from 

 Cream Gorse this morning, in less than ten minutes after 

 the pack were thrown into it, and none the slower for one 

 of John Raven's thrilling view-halloos as she crept out of 

 the gorse nearly under his own horse's feet. " Possunt, 

 quia posse videntur" being the Leicestershire men's motto, 

 they only waited for some part of the hounds to get upon 

 the scent before they were all at their speed, determined 

 to be with them, let whatever might oppose them ; in 

 other words, to go till they fell, or their horses could no 



