126 The Pytchley Hunt^ Past and Prese^it, [chap. iv. 



up to orders, did his master a bad turn on one occasion. 

 Four kennel-horses having been bought of an M.F.H. 

 selling off, for a hundred pounds, the worst of the lot, as 

 far as appearance went, was handed over to the second 

 whip. Falling in with a good thing, the despised one of the 

 quartett acquitted himself so well, that the owner was 

 asked whether he was disposed to sell ? ^^ Let us see 

 him perform once more,^' was the reply, and when his 

 turn came again, the orders his rider received were, ^' If 

 they run, put him along, and get all out of him you 

 can.^' They did run — he was put along — and all that was 

 in him was got out of him, never to return, as he died 

 soon after from being over-ridden. 



Afraid of nothing, '^ Dirty Dick/^ civillest and most 

 untidy of whips, had the ugliest seat on horseback that 

 can well be imagined ; but an animal, bad to ride, 

 generally met his master when Ned Kingsbury had the 

 handling of him. Ned was a useful servant, but sadly 

 given to taking more than was goo.d for him. One day, 

 during early cub-hunting, he appeared at the meet, 

 evidently " disguised in liquor.^^ This so exasperated 

 his master, that he not only gave him a sound thrashing 

 there and then, but bade him ^^ never more be officer of 

 mine." The latter threat yielded to an earnest petition 

 offered by the wife of '^ Ebriosus," that rather than quit 

 Mr. Payne's service, he would prefer to remain as " boiler 

 or anything.^'' 



Riding some fifteen stone, he required wellbred power- 

 ful horses, and in '^ Field Marshal,^^ '^ John BulV^ and the 

 " Merry Shepherd," he obtained them. It is upon " Field 

 Marshal," that he was mounted in Barraud's well-known 

 picture of the ^^ Meet at Crick,^^ a somewhat ragged- 



