THOMAS BATES AND THE DUCHESSES. 97 



set it with the help of the journeyman miller. For some years she 

 had scarcely ever tasted a turnip in the winter months. Since 

 May Day she had been going in the ordinary cow pasture, and 

 was as ignorant as any Northern farmer of what a honne bmiche 

 meant. Without any preparatory training at all old Brokenleg 

 (Duchess 34th) walked by road about forty miles to York, in the 

 company of her son, Duke of Northumberland (1940). The judges 

 ordered the fifteen cows entered to parade twice round the ring, 

 and then told old ' Tommy Myers,' the Kirklevington cowman, to 

 stand on one side with Brokenleg. A murmur of indignation 

 broke from the people present, who imagined she was being ex- 

 cluded from the prize list. 



" Myers remained for half an hour or so thinking, as he said, 

 'they were gannin' to use me very badly,' while the judges kept 

 disputing over Necklace and one of Mr. Mason Hopper's cows. 

 ' They could not rightly judge of stars in the presence of the sun.' 

 Myers, who had supposed they were determining which was to be 

 first and which second, was greatly relieved when they sent 

 Brokenleg 'the white rose' and placed Necklace behind her. 

 When the crowning trophy was placed on Duchess 34th's head 

 there was a burst of applause. She was as like the first Duchess 

 as two animals could be, in color and in that grandeur of style and 

 appearance, such as no animal ever had except a Duchess. 



"Bates had good reason to be satisfied with the result; of the 

 tug-of-war when Killerby met Kirklevington. It was the only 

 challenge he ever accepted. That the decision was perfectly just 

 was confirmed by Mr. Eastwood, a breeder who had as much ad- 

 miration for one line of stock as for the other, so long as the ani- 

 mal was a good one, but who thought that a little weight should 

 be allowed to fashion. Mr. John Booth asked him why it was that 

 Brokenleg beat Necklace. * Well,' he replied, * I think, Mr. Booth, 

 you are fairly beaten ; if I had been one of the judges I should 

 have done the same.' ' Then,' said Booth, ' I am satisfied.' Bates 

 came up shortly afterward and asked Eastwood the same ques- 

 tion. ' I think you won fairly, Mr. Bates.' * I am pleased to hear 

 you say that.' * I told Mr. Booth so.' Then,' said Bates, ' I am 

 more pleased still,' and the great rival breeders remained the best 

 of friends." 



This was indeed one of the most remarkable 

 old-time show-yard events of which any record 

 has been handed down from the last genera- 



