64 THE QUORN HUNT 



was being drawn a hound spoke, and Lord Sefton, 

 riding up to Mr. Meynell, asked him what hound had 

 spoken. " I think it was Concord," replied the old 

 master. " No," objected Lord Sefton, "Concord was at 

 my heels all the time." " I am pretty sure that it was 

 either Concord or Caroline " (brother and sister), rejoined 

 Mr. Meynell. 



Soon afterwards Jack Raven, the huntsman, came 

 cantering by with the main body of the pack. " What 

 hound was that which spoke ? " asked Lord Sefton. 

 "Concord, my Lord," was the answer, and so the point 

 was settled. 



During the middle and later years of Mr. Meynell's 

 mastership there often appeared in the field Mr. (after- 

 wards Captain) Charles Combers, who was born at Brent- 

 wood somewhere about the year 1752. He was entered 

 to hounds when only about nine years of age, and when 

 he reached man's estate was known as " The Flying 

 Cucumber," from the manner in which he put his horses 

 along. After leaving the university (Oxford, I think) 

 he joined the nth Dragoons; ran through his money, 

 and was ultimately appointed captain commandant of 

 an advance corps in Ireland about 1796. 



When "The Flying Cucumber" was in full feather 

 he gravitated towards Leicestershire, taking with him 

 two good hunters and a hack — not much of a stud as we 

 should think now — -having about a hundred pounds in 

 his pocket. On the very first day he met the hounds 

 he went as straight as a dart, and among those whom 

 he pounded was Lord Maynard, who, addressing him, 

 said, " Combers, 1 should like to buy your nag ; I gave 

 ^"300 for mine, but yours is a better jumper." The 

 bargain was eventually closed by Lord Maynard giving 

 his horse and £50 in exchange for Combers's hunter, 

 and a few days later Comber rode the new horse field 

 for field with the hounds. The experience of this run 



