The hunting season was now in full force. Having invested with Tilbury for the hire of a couple of horses, “Alice” and “General,” with groom, at £30 a month, he to replace lame ones; off to my nephew Edward Coke, owner of Longford in Derbyshire. Determined frost, giving me time to examine horses; both appeared well up to my weight, and good jumpers. [Sidenote: Feb. 26.] Wenny Coke put in an appearance. Frost continued the next ten days, making me wish Mr. Tilbury had the horses in his own keeping. [Sidenote: Mar. 5.] Change of wind, but none of weather. [Sidenote: Mar. 8.] Rode Alice to Ingestre. Kindly welcomed by my old friend Shrewsbury. Took up my quarters. Walter Talbot staying here. Fine old place this Ingestre--peacocks about. [Sidenote: Mar. 10.] Taken to dine with the High Sheriff, P. Williams, at Stafford. [Sidenote: Mar. 11.] Ditto weather. Rode General with Walter Talbot to Bifield, Lord Bagot’s. Cokes there, and Grosvenors--Lady Constance, Di Coke, very pretty. [Sidenote: Mar. 15.] Returned to London. [Sidenote: Mar. 20.] Dined with Admiral Rous, a pleasure often enjoyed. His parties were always sporting, I never missed a race within reasonable distance. My good elder brother could not understand why I was so fond of “seeing a fool in red riding after a rogue in yellow.” [Sidenote: Mar. 27.] Was getting into the train at Portsmouth, when my faithful old coxswain, Spurrier, stopped me with, “Think I have found Lord Gilford’s watch.” During the two minutes of the train’s starting, he explained that last evening his wife was in one of the numerous haberdasher shops in Portsea; a well-dressed woman came in and wanted a smart yacht shirt for her friend. On being shown the usual seaman’s shirt, she wanted something much smarter; her man had a gold watch and chain that he was proud of, and that Admiral Keppel had given him a cheque for £10 only a few days before. Poor women! how fast their little tongues will run. [Illustration: _Suspicious Junks._] The giving the cheque I perfectly remember, as well as the man I gave it to. To go back for a few months before the little affair of the Fatshan Creek. The splendid crew of the _Raleigh_ were divided into cruising boats and captured many suspicious Chinese junks, some laden with cargo; but owing to the scarcity of interpreters they were generally condemned and their property confiscated. In the end the prizes amounted to a sum of money: not much, if divided among all the ships, but a nice little bonus for the captors. On my being promoted and ordered home, the captors of strings of pice agreed that I should take charge of the money, converted from pice into sterling bills, which I was to divide, as I thought proper, among the wounded or most deserving characters invalided home. A man belonging to my wounded boat’s crew was one of the recipients.