9 2 THE QUORN HUNT 



say, a man rode two greys, two chestnuts, two bays, or 

 two roans in the day. On one occasion Mr. Maxse had two 

 blacks out, and finding his second horse, during a good 

 run, just in the nick of time, rode on happily. Mr. Smith 

 not being so fortunate, and finding his first horse quite 

 blown, was having some difficulty with a locked gate, 

 which Mr. Maxse, coming up on a fresh horse, cleared 

 easily, to the Squire's great disgust, for he had not noticed 

 that Mr. Maxse had changed horses. 



A statement that the Melton Hunt had become so 

 much disorganised towards the end of the season 1812-13 

 that Mr. Charles Meynell had seceded from it, had its 

 origin in a difficulty about subscriptions, a point on which 

 Mr. Smith himself, most punctilious in money matters, 

 was very particular ; yet on the whole, thanks chiefly to 

 Mr. Moore, the Ouorn Hunt did their duty by the 

 master, as nearly ^"3000 per annum is said to have been 

 forthcoming from the Melton side alone, while on one 

 occasion the amount almost reached ^3600. In 18 14 

 Mr. Musters gave up his Nottinghamshire country, and 

 on Qoino- to the Badsworth aofain sold some hounds to 

 Mr. Smith, who had a great liking for the strain ; he 

 weeded out his pack, and on starting cub-hunting showed 

 the best of sport, any number of good runs taking place 

 on the forest. 



About this time Sir Francis Burdett was in great 

 form with the Ouorn, and, as some one said of him, 

 " he dashes with as much gallantry after the hounds as 

 in the political field — although in the latter we find him 

 sometimes alone, with the former he generally leads a 

 considerable majority." 



The Marquis of Tavistock gave up his hounds (the 

 Oakley) in 181 5, and took a hunting-box at Ouorndon, 

 to hunt with Mr. Smith. Among other well-known 

 followers of the Ouorn at the time was Mr. Tom Hey- 

 cock, who was intimately connected with the " four M 



