THE OLD HUNTSMAN AND THE YOUNG MASTER 



Leicestershire. He was always mounted on the best of 

 cattle, and was well able to make use of them. Mr. Gil- 

 mour was a great favourite at Belvoir, where he was a 

 constant visitor. In spite of his fourteen stone in the 

 saddle, like another of the group, Sir Frederick John- 

 stone, Mr. Gilmour dearly loved a lark. He was some- 

 what of a jealous rider, according to Christian, who 

 says : — 



" The finest bit of jealousy I ever see was from Glaston 

 Pasture to Ketton Village — five on 'em. Mr. Gilmour, on 

 Vingt'un, was first again ; there was Colonel Lowther, Sir 

 James, Mr. Maxse, and Captain White ; you could have 

 covered them with a sheet nearly all the time, but they 

 couldn't head him. I was watching them on one of Sir 

 James Boswell's, the year he went to live at Somerby. Mr. 

 Moore was out, but he couldn't keep company. You can't 

 lay it less than seven miles, no check ; they came up by the 

 Welland Meadows." ^ 



Another figure well known in his day was Count Matusce- 

 witz, who, it was said afterwards, was a Russian spy ; and at all 

 events we know that the only time Raikes mentions Melton 

 is when he sent some information to the Count there. He 

 was a keen, bold rider — " Matuscewitz never was slack" — 

 and was a great friend of that inveterate old gossip Raikes, 

 from whom he probably picked up a good deal in the way of 

 news. He really liked hunting, and possibly he may have 

 found the sport helped him to get information. He died at 

 last in rather bad circumstances in St. Petersburg, having 

 fallen under the displeasure of the Czar. 



But for us the principal figure in the picture is that of 

 Lord Forester, handsome as were all the Foresters, who is 

 leaning with his back to the fireplace. He began hunting 

 early, his father having kept a pack of harriers for him at 

 Willey as soon as he was able to ride. While at Christ 

 Church he used to hunt with Sir Thomas Mostyn over the 

 Bicester country, and later at Belvoir he began to make his 

 mark among the riders of the day. Nor was it very long 

 ^ Silk and Scarlet^ p. 27. 



