PETERBOROUGH AND THE FITZWILLIAM HUNT 25 



he was at the commencement of the movement, 

 because he happened to be present at Lord Burn- 

 ham's shooting party which included the late King 

 Edward and Lord Chesham. After dinner on one 

 of the dark days in November, 1899, when things 

 were going none too well with them in South Africa, 

 his late Majesty said to Lord Chesham, " Why don't 

 you raise a force of the yeomanry of England, for 

 no man could do it better ? " Lord Chesham said 

 he would be very glad to do so, and they all knew 

 with what result. No better force of soldiers ever 

 left these shores than the first 10,000 Imperial 

 Yeomanry who set out for South Africa, and it was 

 for the Leicestershire yeomen to remember how 

 well they were represented in that war. He could 

 assure them that no man could do himself more 

 good than by going through a period of military 

 training, and no man could do it more favourably, 

 and with more actual benefit to himself, than by 

 joining the yeomanry of his county. 



Lord Chesham's stud of hunters at Wansford 

 included the horse General Villebois rode in the 

 Boer War, having a bullet hole in one ear ; he also 

 hunted his South African charger, a grandly pro- 

 portioned mare that stood nearly eighteen hands 

 high. After the fatal accident with the Pytchley, 

 the stud of six hunters were sold at Tattersall's, 

 but did not include the horse which caused the 

 disaster. The biggest crowd of the season assembled, 

 and bidding was very keen. Pintail, a five-year-old 

 brown gelding by Ninepins, winner of three point 

 to points in Ireland, being knocked down for 380 gs. ; 

 two other hunters also reached 320 gs. ; and the 

 good price of 220 gs. was paid for the nine-year- 

 old Holdenby, in spite of his " musical propensities." 

 The stud of six aggregated 1560 gs., an average 



