357 



to regulate the feeding of each hound so that the lot was kept 

 uniformly in the very best condition, and to quote what Mr. Vyner 

 says at page 83 of his book, " I never saw any pack of hounds in the 

 whole course of my experience as a foxhunter which could go so killing a 

 pace both in cover and in the open, run so well together, and carry so 

 line a head, or last out such long and tiring days as those of Mr. 

 Osbaldeston ; they would not only go like a flock of pigeons with a 

 burning scent, but could cold-hunt a fox with as much patience as any 

 pack of hounds in England." 



That the hounds were the best in England and the Odbaldeston blood 

 the best too, is proved by the fact that in 1830 when drafting twenty-five 

 couple (of course, the worst) out of his pack of seventy-five couple, they 

 fetched at his sale at Brixworth 625gs. Again, in 1842, after having 

 previously passed into the hands of Mr. Harvey Combe, Osbaldeston's 

 old pack, consisting of sixty-three and a half couple, were sold at 

 TattersaU's for 6,51 Igs., or over 103gs. a couple. This price has never 

 been even approached. 



The accident I alluded to wasnot alone terrible in its nature but left 

 a disastrous efiect ever after upon The Squire. It occurred as follows :— 

 In a fast run with the Holderness his horse gave him a fall over a 

 high stake and bound fence, and while stretched on the ground the 

 horse of Sir James Musgrave, who was ridden close in his tracks, 

 jumped on him, breaking his leg in such a dreadful manner that the 

 bone protruded through his boot. The Squire never afterwards rode 

 so hard to hounds as he did previously, and he was exceedingly nervous 

 if anyone rode close to him, while if Sir James Musgrave happened to 

 be out he was constantly in the greatest dread of him. Nevertheless 

 he continued to hunt his hounds, and was always handy to them. He 

 was lame ever after which prevented him from taking part in shooting 

 matches which required long walking, and from enjoying his favourite 

 summer sport, cricket. His fall did not, however, interfere with his 

 riding steeplechases. He first rode over the course and then, knowing 

 what he had to ride at, no man cared less for a big place or rode more 

 determinedly. 



In 1831, when in his forty-fourth year and at his zenith as a sportsman, 

 he backed himself with Colonel Charrite for 1,000 guineas even that he 

 would ride two hundred miles in ten consecutive hours within the 

 Houghton meeting week at Newmarket. The event came off on Satur- 

 day, November 5, of that year, and was won by The Squire in exactly 

 eight hours and forty-two minutes, including stoppages. 



I should remark that long before then he was dubbed " The Squire " 

 — a came he was universally known by. 



From BelVs Life of November 13, 1831, I compile the following par- 

 ticulars of this wonderful performance : — 



Although the match was made some three months previously, Mr. 

 Osbaldeston did not go into severe training till the last week, when he 

 increased his ordinary riding to 80 miles a day. This he performed at 



