52 REMINISCENCES OF 



to stagger. " Frantic " died on the spot ; " Modish " 

 as soon as we got home, and " Racer" soon after ; 

 " Bacchanal" was very ill, and others were taken ill. 



Stephen Dickens left at end of season and went 

 to North Staffordshire. He was a most respectable 

 man, a capital horseman and useful on the field, but 

 he had a very weak voice and was not much use 

 as kennel huntsman — he had begun in a bad school. 

 Jim Edwards, the Welshman, was no use in the 

 shires. He never could get out of the crowd. 

 Apparently he left before the end of the season, for 

 Morris was whipping-in the latter part of it. 



My groin was very painful, and the Atherstone 

 doctor said I was ruptured. I went to London to 

 see Sir Henry Thompson. He said, " If you rest 

 you will get well, and if you go on riding you 

 won't ". There was only one day more to the end of 

 the season, and I got all right with rest. 



187 1. — Fife Light Horse assembled for drill at 

 Cupar on nth July. Chandy Pole came to stay 

 with us, and brought his yeomanry uniform. Charlie 

 was also in the ranks. During the drill week my 

 boy had a very bad cough. He rode a horse, 

 " Ivanhoe," which was a pretty hard puller, and tired 

 him. 



On 13th July, the night of the Light Horse ball. 

 Jack said he was tired and would go home. We 

 were staying in George Pagan's house. I went with 

 him. While he was undressing he began to spit 

 blood. I ran back to the ball-room and got Dr. 

 Dewar ; went to Caw the chemist and got lead pills. 



