130 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



condemned it as an act of wanton folly, whicli lie 

 would be sorry that any one should imitate. 



' " The other Tom Smith " was himself once 

 hunted, and it happened in this way. He had pur- 

 chased a new horse in London, and, as he wanted to 

 be back in Hungerford as soon as possible, he de- 

 termined to ride the horse part of the way home, 

 his groom being told to come on by coach and take 

 charge of it the next day. He had ridden nearly 

 to Staines, when he fell in with a mob of London 

 roughs, who had come out to see a prize-fight, and, 

 having been baulked by the magistrates, were ripe for 

 any kind of mischief. Two of these fellows were in 

 a gig, whipping and galloping like mad ; and when 

 they came near him, though he had drawn up on the 

 side of the road, they pulled the reins and attempted 

 wantonly to drive over him. To save his leg, he 

 struck at the horse's head to turn it away ; but the 

 blow caught one of the vagabonds on the nose, and 

 covered his face with blood. They were in the act 

 of jumping out to seize him, when he put spurs to 

 his horse and galloped off. The whole rabble rout 

 — horse, foot, and drags of every description — gave 

 chase, and it looked something very like a race for 

 life. Finding his pursuers gain on him, he rode at a 

 fence, but his horse fell at the ditch. The mob were 

 almost on him ere he could force his horse over, and 

 then many got into the field at a gate near the spot, 

 and chased him with cries of "Stop thief!" and 



