I30 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



saturating myself with the unpleasant liquid. I was 

 obliged to relinquish the chase, and was thereby 

 deprived of any further opportunity of seeing Mr. 

 Morris's ride. This eventful run, and the brilliant 

 performance of the new investment, was naturally 

 talked about. For myself, having seen how grandly 

 the mare went, and how perfect was her style, I was 

 more than content with the deal. 



In sending a cheque to ' Harborough Brown,' I 

 asked him for some particulars of her history, and 

 found she had been bred in the Melton Mowbray 

 district, and was got by Belzoni out of a perfect hunt- 

 ing mare. This horse was noted as the best sire of 

 natural jumpers throughout the Midlands. After 

 having been carefully taught her business, John 

 Anderson bought her, when rising six years old, at 

 a high figure, and sent her down to an order from 

 Mr. Wilson, the then master of the ' Atherstone,' 

 for 250 guineas. He being rather a little man, and 

 this Belzoni mare being sixteen hands high, and 

 somewhat fidgety on being mounted, he disliked 

 her, and, on finding she made a slight noise, he 

 returned her, and I thus became her owner. I 

 remember one day, after meeting the Bicester 

 hounds at Chilton village, a fox was found at 

 ' Chinkwell Wood,' near Brill Hill. The pack raced 

 him away to the New Wood at Wotton. The 

 squire (T. T. Drake), hunting his own hounds, 

 rattled away as usual, cheering on his pack, and, 

 going down the hill at a great pace, charged a big 

 ox-fence, and got safely over. I was near to him, 



