178 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



" Silk and Scarlet," but are too voluminous for analysis 

 in these pages. However, I cannot refrain from 

 quoting his opinion in regard to hunters : " Give me 

 'em lengthy, shortlegged for Leicestershire. I wouldn't 

 have 'em no bigger than 15.3 : great rump, hips, and 

 hocks : fore legs well afore 'em, and good shoulders : 

 thoroughbred if you can get 'em, but none of your high, 

 short horses. Thoroughbred horses make the best 

 hunters. I never heard of a great thing yet, but it was 

 done by a thoroughbred horse." He was fond of 

 talking of "The Prince of Wales's Day," with the 

 Cottesmore. " He was nowhere, bless you : they gave 

 'im the brush, though, just to please 'im. (N.B. — 

 The Prince of Wales was afterwards George IV.) 

 Another of his expressions was " tremendious," his 

 favourite epithet in describing fences ; but, though he 

 would talk of the exploits of his contemporaries, he 

 rarely spoke of his own, even to Mr. Dixon. One 

 exploit of Sir Gilbert Heathcote he witnessed, which 

 subsequently gave the idea to Mr. John Leech for one 

 of his best-known sketches. It was Sir Gilbert Heath- 

 cote who rode over the parson, and exclaimed, " You 

 can lie where you are, sir : you won't be wanted till 

 next Sunday." 



Latterly, Dick's memory failed him. Mr. Dixon did 

 everything in his power to restore it, and drove him in 

 a gig about Leicestershire, thinking that the sight of the 

 old familiar scenes would bring back recollections of 

 what had been " The Waterloo of his existence." But 

 the drives were of little use. He was then in his 

 seventy-eighth year, and had nearly finished the run of 



