" THE COTTESMORE IN 1826." 15 



But we have arrived at the meet, and have mounted 

 our horses, an old stamp of animal, with a square-cut 

 tail, and what would seem in these days an altogether 

 antiquated-looking kind of " gee," but he is full of 

 beans and fit to go ; he has short legs, and his 

 square-cut short tail displays his rounded quarters to 

 advantage ; he has more timber about him than is 

 generally seen in these days of thoroughbred, weedy 

 animals, who owe their good coats to hot water and 

 Turkish baths more than to the use of strap-oil and 

 elbow-grease. The plot thickens as red-coat after red- 

 coat comes up and exchanges greetings ; and the Melton 

 men, many of whom are great dandies, are almost 

 refulgent in their white cords, white buckskin gloves, 

 and well-brushed hats, for their grooms have given 

 them a tickle-up for the occasion ; their well-polished 

 boots have also had a lick-over, where any spot of 

 mud chanced to appear ; in fact, they are the beau- 

 ideal of a good turn-out, and, in spite of having ridden 

 from Melton in mud boots, look, at least the greater 

 part of them, as if they had just come out of a band- 

 box. White buckskin gloves seem unknown in these 

 days, and very few lazy gentlemen's gentlemen would 

 know how, or condescend, to turn them out properly, 

 and would most probably give their masters notice on 



