The Merry Past 



awaken the host, who immediately authorised him 

 to take his choice among the post-horses, and a 

 saddle was placed on a game blood-looking old horse, 

 whose fore-legs showed many a hard day's work. 

 For a length of time the old horse went jarring and 

 shaking along at a most fatiguing pace, his rider 

 nursing him carefully so as to reach Barnet, where he 

 knew he could obtain a horse from the stud of an 

 intimate friend. The old horse did his best, and 

 eventually reached the desired stables. 



Here his rider lost no time in making known his 

 urgent want, and having undertaken to indemnify the 

 man in charge, who knew him well and his intimacy 

 with his master, was allowed to select a runaway 

 well-bred horse from the stud under his charge. The 

 squire had no sooner put his horse into a gallop on 

 the road than he found a new difficulty — the 

 utter impossibility of stopping him. Away he went 

 down the steep hill on the London side of Barnet a 

 most terrific pace, which no effort could moderate or 

 control. Perceiving a flock of sheep on the road be- 

 fore him, he vainly redoubled his efforts to pass them 

 with his horse under some control. The brute dashed 

 among and on them, and for a moment was almost on 

 the ground ; nevertheless, he regained his legs without 

 unseating his rider, and went on at a more moderate 

 pace, amidst the oaths of the drovers, the bleating of 

 the frightened sheep, and the barking of the angered 

 sheep-dogs. The mishaps in question proved a most 

 fortunate event, for on arriving at the turnpike the 

 squire found it closed ; had his horse come up to it at 



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