THOMAS WESTLAKE 99 



rolled the fox over in a farmyard among a lot of 

 bullocks. 



Mr. William Com-tenay Clack— the "Billy Clack" 

 of his intimates — who in his young days whipped-in 

 to VVestlake, his brother, Mr. J. C. Clack, and Mr. 

 C. E. R. Walker concur in Mr. Gould's estimate of 

 Westlake's qualities as a huntsman, and add that he 

 was excellent on the horn too, and that his cheery 

 voice when^ fox was found was a treat to hear, and 

 they speak of the wonderful sport Westlake con- 

 sistently shewed. 



Mr. Robert Vicary, who hunted much with West- 

 lake and speaks of having seen him ride many a hard 

 day in a carpet slipper, describes him as a fine fellow 

 and very handsome man, some fourteen to fifteen 

 stone in weight, but very clever at getting over a 

 country on Sprig of Shillelagh and Tommy ; the 

 former, thoroughbred and a " fair wonder," picked up 

 for a few sovereigns. 



Mr. H. S. Wright, whose father, the late Mr. John 

 Wright of Newton Abbot, was one of the guarantors 

 and chief members of Mr. Westlake's Committee, has 

 also a very lively recollection of him and of his 

 powers as a huntsman. As an instance of Westlake's 

 endurance in the saddle, Mr. Wright mentions the 

 circumstance that he would at certain periods, after 

 hunting his hounds all day, and taking only a short 

 interval for dinner, start off on a fresh horse from 

 Kingsteignton for Okehampton to be ready to collect 

 his rents in that locality next day. 



He was an excellent horseman too, and, though he 

 never had out more than one horse a day, he was 

 never known to fail to bring him home at night, 

 however long or severe the run might have been. 

 Mr. Wright also tells of how a young gentleman once 



