MR. THOMAS HODGSON 187 



downstairs owing to failing eyesight, and it is a curious coinci- 

 dence that on the day of his death the hounds were advertised to 

 meet at Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, and they were due to meet at 

 the same place on the day of Sir Richard Sutton's death. 



Webb, however, it is only fair to say, was badly 

 mounted for Leicestershire, and this fact his master 

 readily admitted, for no sooner had Webb left than 

 Day found fault with the horses, and nearly all were 

 sold to be replaced by others more suited to the country. 

 Webb, however, in spite of his bad horses crossed the 

 country in an extraordinary manner, and even "Nimrod" 

 admitted that in his knowledge of the run of a fox he 

 had no superior. On the whole, therefore, Webb seems 

 to have been a little badly treated, and of course his 

 premature departure from the Quorn annihilated his 

 chance of a testimonial. 



When he hunted his Yorkshire pack, Mr. Hodgson 

 was said to ride, but when he came to Leicestershire his 

 critics said he never rode a yard, the reason given by 

 one writer being that 



He was in love all the time he was master of the Quorn, and 

 had special injunctions from his lady fair — if he was not under a 

 vow — never to jeopardise those precious long limbs of his by riding 

 at timber. Yet what glorious sport did he show us. With him 

 hunting was indeed a science, and his lagging habit was often of 

 more real service in the field than the go-ahead hard riding of 

 masters who hunt for riding's sake and nothing else. 



Another critic said that Mr. Hodgson was a capital 

 whipper-in, and was of far more use in keeping the field 

 in order when somewhat near the rear rank, than he 

 would have been in the front. But this, I fancy, may be 

 something of a libel, for there seems every reason to 

 believe that, although Mr. Hodgson had not the dash 

 of Osbaldeston or Assheton Smith, he yet rode very 



