MR. HARVEY COMBE 83 



name is Bob Westall, many years huntsman to the 

 Highworth harriers ; and his horse, or rather gallo- 

 way, was purchased out of the Wantage coach in the 

 year 1805, "ow twenty years ago ! Such is the 

 natural goodness of this well-shaped little animal, 

 who is quite a harlequin at his fences, that " condi- 

 tion " has always been considered a superfluity, and 

 he has been taken to the field, in almost a state of 

 nature. 1 was credibly informed that all the prepara- 

 tion he had for hunting was a blast from Bob's horn, 

 which brought him to the gate to be saddled ! 



Having never seen it when Mr. Codrington hunted 

 it, I was unconscious that I was living within fifty 

 miles of so fine a country as the one I have been 

 speaking of. Consisting chiefly of dairy farms, there 

 is a very large proportion of grass, of course favour- 

 able to scent ; and though the ground is apt to be 

 deep, the fences are practicable, and there is nothing 

 to prevent a good hunter being with hounds. Some 

 parts of it resemble Leicestershire. There is the 

 large ox fence, there is the bridle road, the guide 

 post and the wind-mill ; and here and there a good 

 rasping brook. One brook was pointed out to me 

 over which Mr. Barry Price once showed the whole 

 field " the trick " upon his famous horse " Monarchy," 

 though then riding eighteen stone. 



The Old Berkeley country exceeds all others with 

 which I am acquainted in extent. It begins at 

 Scratch Wood, seven miles from London, and 

 extends without any interruption, to Cirencester in 

 Gloucestershire, upwards of eighty miles. Having 

 said this it can easily be imagined how amused 

 Mr. Combe must have been at a gentleman riding 

 up to him and asking him in what London paper 

 he advertised his fixtures. This gentleman was no 

 doubt little aware that the difficulty Mr. Combe 

 labours under, is to conceal and not to publish his 



