THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 253, 



his horses oppose to them ; and it is astonishing how few 

 falls he gets, taking the season throughout, in which he- 

 never misses a day at the cover side. Nor is it only in. 

 Warwickshire that he shines. I was told that, one day 

 last season, he was quite a leading man in a severe burst 

 over Leicestershire with the Cottesmore hounds, although 

 he got a very indifferent start. He is, of course, well 

 mounted, and is occasionally offered immense prices for 

 his horses, which, however, he generally declines. He 

 has now two horses the Conqueror and Knowsley, the 

 latter an entire horse for which I would willingly 

 give him 1000 guineas, could I conveniently spare the- 

 money. But as I have taken upon myself to sketch the 

 characters of these gentlemen, I must not stop at their 

 mere accomplishments in the field. They are all that 

 is amiable and delightful in private life, and their 

 hospitality has no bounds. For instance, it was only last 

 week that I myself made one of a dozen sportsmen tert 

 in scarlet, and two in black coats that turned out each 

 morning, equipped for the field, having been domiciled 

 under their roof for a week, and fed with the best o 

 everything. 



" We have likewise two very celebrated sportsmen in 

 this country, whose names stand high in Leicestershire ; 

 namely, John Halls and John Lockwood. The former is 

 one of the very best of the gentlemen jockeys at Bibury,. 

 and the latter remarkable for the high prices for whick 

 he has sold his horses, after distinguishing themselves 

 under his weight upwards of fourteen stone. A short 

 time back he sold one, called Faith, for 750 guineas, in> 

 consequence of his having been the only one that could, 

 live with the hounds over Newbold Field, and leap a 

 large fence into Lord Northampton's park afterwards.. 

 So anxious was the gentleman who purchased him to^ 

 possess himself of such a treasure, that he sent an express 

 off, in the night of the day on which the circumstance 

 occurred, to make an offer of the money, in case another 

 customer should be before him. Newbold Field is 

 certainly one of the most distressing pieces of ground 

 that I ever rode over, and Faith must be, as he has the 

 appearance of being, a most superior horse to have crossed 

 it on the day I allude to, when it was in a very tender 

 state, and very highly ridged. 



" There is a very gentleman-like young man hunting; 



