1833] BILL BARROW. 113 



but a field behind the fox, going at their best pace, and not 

 a single horseman was within sight of them. In a few 

 minutes Bill Barrow came up alone. " Have you seen the 

 fox, sir ?" said he. " Yes." " And the hounds ?" " Yes." 

 ''AVho was with them?" "Nobody," was the reply. 

 "Which way are they gone?" "I see them now," said 

 the yeoman. "AYliere? Where?" asked Bill, eagerly. 

 " Don't you see them driving up the hill, yonder, as fast as 

 legs can carry them ?" " I do, I do," answered Bill, and 

 he instantly dashed, as fast as he could, point blank for the 

 spot ; the sun shone at the moment on the hillside, and they 

 could plainly discern the hounds, although the distance was 

 two miles off. Our informant kept his place, and in a few 

 minutes he saw Barrow mount the same hill ; he had 

 e\adently gained on the hounds, and got up to them soon 

 afterwards. Barrow struck off for the hill in a direct line, 

 he first took a moderate hedge, and next dashed through a 

 strons: willow fence, and cleared a brook on the other side. 

 " I thought," said the yeoman, " that no man on horse 

 Tvould dare to attempt such a leap, and expected to see 

 them either fall backward or tumble headlong into the 

 brook. They cleared both with apparent ease. As the 

 willows were too high to top and too strong, as I thought, 

 to give way, I went to see how they had made their way 

 through them. Two of the willows, right and left, much 

 thicker than my wrist, had been twisted nearly off by the 

 force of the horse, and he had dropped fairly on his feet on 

 the opposite side, a great distance from the take-off, without 

 a stumble." The nag Bill rode that day was wdiat I should 

 call a little one, but he was a rare bit of stuff, and I never 

 saw one of his size able to live with him across such a 

 country. His strength, courage, and bottom carried him 

 over everything that came in his way. 



In connection with this subject, we may here allude to 

 the celebrated feat, achieved in 1792 by Mr. Bingham, of 

 leaping a horse over the wall of Hyde Park, the height 

 of which was G^ft. on the inside, and 8ft. on the outside, 

 where a bed of manure was laid to receive the animal. The 



Vol. I. I 



