152 Memoir of Tom, Smith, 



and antlers thus locked together have been 

 preserved, as Mr. Smith suggested. 



At the end of this, his second season, Mr. 

 Smith made known his intention to resign the 

 Pytchley country; and he carried it out, not- 

 withstanding various letters of regret that he 

 received. One of these was signed by many 

 yeomen and farmers in the Hunt, and it stated 

 that the country had never been hunted more 

 satisfactorily even by the celebrated Mr. Mus- 

 ters or Mr. Osbaldeston. His twenty-two 

 horses were sold at Tattersall's; and they 

 fetched far more than merely remunerating 

 prices. This being a novelty when a Master 

 of hounds sends his stock to the hammer, Mr. 

 Smith has been asked to explain how it hap- 

 pened; how, in short, he had been able to 

 avoid purchasing at least some unsound horses. 

 The following is the whole of the mystery, 

 and he hopes it may be useful to some of his 

 readers. 



His plan was, never to buy a horse with- 



