290 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



him for three more, and he was never known to tire 

 in the longest day, or to give either of them a fall. 

 He originally belonged to the Rev. Mr. Empsoii, 

 who bought him from his breeder, Mr. Brackenbury, 

 in the Spilsby neighbourhood, for 200 guineas, and 

 then found that he could not ride him. He was al- 

 ways falling at his fences, and his constant practice 

 was to get rid of his groom, when he was out at 

 exercise, and jump all the white gates back to his 

 stable. Things became so bad with the two, that 

 Mr. Emerson told Dick Burton he must have a try 

 with him ; and accordingly, when the Quorn met at 

 Owthorpe Kuotts next day, the little whole-coloured 

 blood bay arrived with two snaffles and a martingale 

 on. The groom had led him sixteen miles on foot 

 because he dared not get on him, and he looked 

 such a picture that Beau Brummell might have tied 

 his cravat in the reflection of his coat. Dick vowed, 

 before he mounted, that he had never yet seen 

 such a beautiful animal. Once on, he found it was 

 hopeless to try and hold him, and was obliged to 

 let him lead from end to end, over heavy plough 

 and blind fences, in a run of an hour and thirty-five 

 minutes ; and at the end of a run with a second fox 

 only a quarter of an hour less, the HtJe horse was 

 neither " sick nor sorry." To the groom's query 

 Dick only replied, " He carried me middling" ; but 

 he did not rest till " The Squire" had bought him 

 next day for 120 guineas. Perhaps his greatest feat 

 was when the latter rode him in a tremendous run 

 of ten miles from Billesdon Coplow to Ranksboro* 

 Gorse. The pace was so great that at the bottom of 

 Ranksboro' Hill only five out of some 170 scarlets 

 were left, and at this point Sir Harry Goodricke, Mr. 

 Holyoake, and Mr. Maher were fairly choked off; 

 while Mr. Osbaldeston, and Mr. Greene on his noted 

 bay mare, ascended it side by side. The hounds 

 dwelt a little in the gorse, which let up some strag- 



