A FAMOUS STEEPLECHASE. 171 



Weston Turville, the line came to a small brook with a 

 stiff eight feet high " bullfincher," uncut — as every fence 

 was that day ; bearing to the left again, they recrossed the 

 turnpike, skirted the Tring road over four grass fields, 

 crossed the winning-field, and, turning round a flag to 

 the right, the mill-dam had to be jumped a second 

 time ; then over three more great grass enclosures, with 

 rattling " bullfinchers" and one smart double ; and then 

 a straight half-mile home, over a big stake and binder 

 newly laid down, to the mill-dam, with its rising take- 

 off and a deep drop on landing, into a small grass field, 

 and, to get out of it, they had to jump a tremendous 

 single, with a broad ditch on the landing side, into the 

 winning-field : the run in was about four hundred yards 

 up a steep incline. Here assembled the crowd of both 

 sexes, and, as the horses could be seen for more than 

 half a mile to the finish, the excitement was well 

 sustained. 



When the brook was jumped, all four were together, 

 Vainhope and British Yeoman being a few lengths in 

 advance of Maria Day and the Young 'Un. The two 

 former came along breasting the last fence together ; 

 each making an enormous jump they landed safely, and 

 such a set-to has seldom been seen as between the 

 accomplished riders Jem Mason and W. Archer ; but 

 the extra weight on the Yeoman told in the end, and 

 Vainhope came in the winner by a length, the third and 

 fourth being only a few lengths behind. All the horses 

 were pumped out ; the winner only four years old ! Mr. 

 Elmore, the owner of the Yeoman, was dreadfully 

 disappointed — he had made sure of the success of his 



