SEASON 1879-80 135 



hailing distance of Belvoir, for, we find Lord Car- 

 rington succeeding to the mastership of the 

 Cottesmore on the retirement of Lord Lonsdale, 

 Sir Bache Cunard hunting Mr. Tailbys' country 

 in high Leicestershire, and Mr. Herbert Lang- 

 ham of Cottesbrooke following Lord Spencer 

 with the Pytchley, retaining the services of Will 

 Goodatl. To mention such classic names in 

 Gillard's hearing was a sure way to draw a good 

 story from him. " Luck generally favours a start, 

 and well I remember my first season with the 

 Quorn. What good sport we had ! Day after 

 day our foxes would take a good line of country, 

 and we continually crossed the borders of Mr. 

 Tailbys. In these days Frank Goodall was the 

 huntsman to that pack, subsequently leaving to 

 carry the horn for the Queen's stag-hounds, and 

 many a time he would say to me as I rode by his 

 house late at night after a good run into Mr. 

 Tailbys' country, 'You are the worst poacher I 

 ever knew, Frank ; I will shoot you the very next 

 time I catch you in my country ! ' ' Give me a 

 cup of tea and shoot me afterwards ! ' I used to 

 say, for I was very fond of a cup of tea on the way 

 home after a hard day, and I had lots of kind 

 friends and houses of call where they would get the 

 kettle boiling if they knew I was anywhere in the 

 neighbourhood about dusk." 



The conditions of weather will often give a 

 clue to the sport of any particular season, and this 

 was so in the present instance. Owing to a wet 

 autumn, the harvest was delayed, so that it was 



