THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



for he is being spoilt' ' So you shall, Will,' he replied, ' if the 

 groom will let you.' So I did. It was then half-past nine in 

 the morning, and I sat on his back until half-past four that 

 afternoon. When I took him home, the stud-groom said, 

 ' Well, now, you shall have him at the kennel,' and so I did. 

 He would get you under trees, into ditches, or throw himself 

 down, but I soon got him out of that, and rode him that 

 season, and nothing was too big for him." Gillard used to say 

 that if Wells had not taken him in hand, he must have been 

 sold for a song as an incurable. In the second season Gillard 

 took to the horse and liked him so well that Will Wells did 

 not get him again. Among other reminiscences Wells recalls 

 the day when he and his famous mare Mrs. Cox used to go 

 so hard over the Quorn country, and the field used to look to 

 Wells, as the generation before them had done to Dick Chris- 

 tian, to make a way through the Ashby Pasture " stitchers." 

 Wells is a great admirer of the Lincolnshire farmer, for he 

 says, " To see some horsemanship, go into Lincolnshire and 

 see the farmers ride." Thus he writes of the great Belvoir 

 huntsman : " Frank Gillard was a very hard man to live with, 

 but one of the very best, good-hearted and kind, but strict. 

 It was a very hard place in my time, five days a week, and 

 such a lot of work in kennels. I have been cleaning my 

 things at two o'clock in the morning so as to be able to see 

 to the hounds next morning before we started to the meet, 

 and often had buns and ginger-beer going through Grantham 

 in the van, because we had had no breakfast. The late Duke 

 of Rutland was the kindest master I ever had. On one occa- 

 sion some one wrote to the Duke and told him that I rode 

 too hard. He wrote to Gillard and told him to tell me to be 

 careful." He was more careful of his men than he was of him- 

 self " Those who have read Mr. Bradley's book will recollect 

 the great run from Sleaford Wood when Colonel Fane ^ took a 

 fall on his wedding day. I was less fortunate, and broke my 

 leg at the same brook, and was laid up for nine weeks — 

 a great hardship to see hounds going out and me at home." 



' Colonel Fane and .William Wells both fell at the same place, but 

 during different runs ; the former took place in Cooper's time from Fulbeck. 



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