178 COVERT-SIDE SKETCHES. 



days, gradually worked up to that place, and had Bill Brice 

 under him during the last years of the Squire. Briggs was his 

 stud groom in early days, and after him came Joseph Lees, who 

 was head of the stables for years, and, after the death of the 

 Squire, set up as a veterinary at Luggershall, where he died in 

 1871. It will be admitted that this is not a very long list of 

 servants, when we consider the time My. Smith was master of 

 the Tedworth country, and, moreover, there is not one amongst 

 them who has not done himself credit in other lands; for, 

 although Jack Fricker is still at Tedworth, he was some 

 years ago paid the compliment of being offered the post of 

 huntsman to the Quorn, " although he declined the • honour, 

 and preferred to stick to the country in which he had been 

 brought upj while it is somewhat singular that Tom Firr, 

 who was under him in Carter's time, has since gone there, 

 and made himself a great name. It will also tend to show 

 what a just and good master Mr. Smith must have been to 

 retain men of this class so long in his service, when we 

 remember that with them, as with his field, he was at times 

 verj^ rough-tempered. However, as the portrait of Mr. Smith 

 is sketched in " Country Quarters," I shall once more quote 

 from that work : — 



" The Squire was not very even-tempered with his men, and 

 once took Lees by the coat-collar and kicked him half-way round 

 the stables because he fomented a horse that was lame (he had 

 been badly staked) with warm water instead of cold, his par- 

 tiality for which remedy is well known. On another occasion 

 he struck a helper, when the latter returned the blow ; so they 

 went into the passage behind the boxes and had a round or tv/o, 

 and the Squire, so far from being offended with the lad, 

 applauded him for having the courage to turn on him, and gave 

 him a sovereign. With his field he was very rough at times, 

 and one day said to a boy, who was mounted on a thoroughbred 

 a good deal above his weight and altogether too much for him, 

 so that he was in danger of passing the Squire going down a 



