100 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



bought a horse on which he had seen "Westlake lead 

 the field in his usual brilliant style on a certain 

 occasion when mounted on him by Mr. Harris of 

 Wood, who had the animal on hire from a dealer. 

 After cutting a sorry figure on him the following 

 week, the purchaser complained to Westlake that he 

 could not get the beast along. " Well, well, sir," was 

 the answer, " there's a little bit in the riding — there's 

 a little bit in the riding." The horse was one, in 

 Westlake's words, that went nicely enough on the 

 grass, but that you had to " pick along " through 

 dirt, and that, down-hill, shook himself to pieces. 

 Yet he had gone as usual on him. Truly, there is a 

 very big " little bit " in the riding ! 



He was fond of a rubber of whist. " I used to go 

 out to Westlake's house at Kingsteignton," ^\Tites 

 Mr. R. Vicary, " to partner him at whist against 

 Robert Baker and the Hunt secretary, Harry Michel- 

 more — two good players against two very indifferent 

 ones — but we had more than our share of the luck. 

 Westlake was a bit slow — at whist — and, when our 

 adversaries hurried him, he would reply : ' But I 

 must consider, sir ! ' " 



A favourite expression with the old man, when 

 speaking of hunting, was : " I am natturly (naturally) 

 fond of it, sir." 



Mr. Vicary tells me he did not breed many hounds 

 but relied a good deal on drafts which he bought 

 mostly from Lord Portsmouth. 



It was Westlake's habit on the evening of a hunt- 

 ing day to bring two or three favourite hounds into 

 his cosy parlour at Oakford, Kingsteignton. There, 

 stretched at full length before the fire, they would 

 rest, the while their master enlarged upon their 



