The Bishop of Barchester 



gratitude means, but I 'as to admire 'im when 'e 

 clears the water. 'E looks like 'e's goin' to a fire, 

 the way 'e skims the top o' the brush without an 

 inch to spare and lands runnin' three feet the 

 other side o' the ditch. The best timber- topper 

 in Hengland couldn't 'a'done it prettier. Oh, 

 it's a pictur', it is, Hi grant you, sir. 



*' 'E's easy to follow without glarsses, 'e's so 

 white and pure-looking, a poundin' on back o' the 

 major, with the capt'in balancin' 'is 'undred and 

 thirty pounds as quiet asamouse, and never raisin' 

 a finger. You can understand what it means to 

 Delhi, that must 'ave its excitement now and then 

 — just to keep body and soul together — so many 

 thousand miles from 'ome. I ain't afraid the 

 Bishop cawn't stand it, either, for a mule 'as got 

 more lives than a cat, but I thinks that if the 

 major's chestnut leads them into the stretch, 

 she'll win out with 'er wonderful burst o' speed. 

 And that's what the crowd thinks, too, for when- 

 ever the capt'in passes them they yell out for 'im 

 to close up and get a lead on the mare. But 'e, 

 the capt'in, takes 'is borders from nobody, and 

 even the colonel, old Kris, often arsks 'is advice — 

 so 'e and the mule keeps a-pluggin' just as 'appy as 

 ever you please. You can see it makes the major 

 nervous, and, bless you, why wouldn't it, to 'ave 

 a sixteen-'and mule and the capt'in 'arf a length 



