THE OLD ORDER CHANGES 



But, though Wells was a hard rider, he was, like his fellow- 

 whipper-in, Arthur Wilson, a keen hound man, and has occu- 

 pied the post of huntsman for seventeen years, part under 

 Mr. Gosling, the brother of that hard-riding Colonel who was 

 famous for the length of his hatter's bill, and the rest in the 

 Hertfordshire country. 



Wells's memory recalls most of the famous hounds of his 

 day. " Fallible [the italics are his], Rockwood, Struggler (good 

 dog, but small), Weathergage, Guardian, Brusker{i^y^) — a nice 

 dog, and used very much, but there never was a bigger skirter, 

 till one day Gillard, myself, and Cottrell were out cub-hunting, 

 and we caught him near a gate and gave him a lesson. After 

 that when I said to him ' Brusher,' he would fly among the 

 pack and remain there. Weathergage was the best fox-hound 

 I ever saw. Founder was a dog I was fond of, he had such 

 bone. (Founder was by Fallible — Glory, Fallible (1874) by 

 Milton Furrier.) Fencer was a nice dog, and found favour 

 with Mr. Harvey Bayly, and did much good to the Rufiford 

 pack. Our Wellington, at Puckeridge, was a son of Wrestler, 

 a dog I liked. Mr. Burbidge, of Thorpe Arnold, walked him. 

 It was at first intended to draft him, as he was rather flat- 

 sided, but I said that when I became a huntsman I would 

 use him. Many masters and huntsmen liked him, and my 

 master, Mr. Gosling, said he was the best hound in the Belvoir 

 kennels. That good judge, the late Lord Portsmouth, got 

 him at last. I like the Weathergage sort better than any 

 other." Weathergage was a plain dog, and he was nearly 

 sharing the fate of his famous ancestor, Furrier, which went in 

 a draft to Mr. Osbaldeston. He was offered for ;!^io to 

 Mr. Albert Brassey, who did not like him. Wells goes on : 

 " The gentlemen of Leicestershire were always trying to get a 

 pull at me. One day I got into one of those little summer 

 garden houses just under the new station at Melton, and could 

 not find a way out Mr. W. Chaplin stood in the newly- 

 made street ; I heard him say to Miss Chaplin, ' Never saw 

 Will done before, but he is clean done this time.' I took hold 

 of my black horse fast by the head, sent him at the rails from 

 the high bank, and landed over the footpath into the middle 



327 



