REMINISCENCES OF BERT DRAGE 



adjoining farm helping his uncle. He was a fine 

 rider and much liked by everyone, and he agreed 

 to join us. I felt that one of us ought to get more 

 in touch with people hunting in Leicestershire, 

 so I took some stabling just outside John Gaunt 

 station. Eventually I bought the stabling together 

 with the house. I used to hunt three or four days 

 a week there, and the other days with the Pytchley, 

 and so got in touch with some very good customers. 

 I never stayed at John Gaunt. I used to go down 

 each morning by train and back at night. It was 

 pretty strenuous work as the horses I had to ride 

 there were chiefly horses recently over from 

 Ireland, and then I had letters to write and things 

 to arrange. So it was after eight o'clock before I 

 got to the Red House where I lived, and then I had 

 to be up at the Grange early the next morning. 

 I was not physically very strong, but I was wiry and 

 fit, and I just loved the hunting. I think I liked 

 the Cottesmore country the best. I felt I could 

 hold my own better in that country than in the 

 Quorn or Fernie. 



A great friend of mine. Major Hughes Onslow, 

 gave me a very good tip. He said : " Let your 

 horse gallop on down the hills, and don't hurry him 

 up the hills." It was a hilly country and I found 

 his advice was very helpful. 



About that time I felt I should have to make a 

 change with our buyer in Ireland, Mr. Topham. 

 When I hunted from John Gaunt I came across two 



24 



