BREEDING OF HUNTERS. 327 



ther with diachylon plaister ; and yet it was under this 

 martyrdom riding with one stirrup shorter than the 

 other, often hunting six days a-week, while not closing 

 his eyes for agony at night, and adding a little to the 

 heel of his boot each year as the knee-tendons con- 

 tracted that he won his spurs in Cheshire, and served 

 Mr. Davenport for several seasons. However, while 

 exercising the young hounds one dewy morning in 

 Trentham Park, he caught a chill, and on coming 

 home it was found that mortification had commenced 

 in the limb. That was temporarily averted; but 

 things looked so threatening, that it was deemed ad- 

 visable to take the leg off in the November of 1855. 

 Chloroform was a long time doing its duty ; but all 

 was skilfully achieved, and he only awoke at the very 

 fag-end of the operation. He was able to get into 

 another room by Christmas-day, but he was so wasted 

 that his wife could easily carry him about, and all 

 hope of hunting seemed gone for ever and aye. By 

 the day of the second Quorn sale he had furnished 

 himself with two legs, one for walking and the other 

 for riding, and re-appeared at Quorn on a crutch, 

 where he was looked upon and hailed by his brother- 

 huntsmen as quite a Crimean veteran. Unfortu- 

 nately his walking leg would not ride, while his riding 

 leg was a bent one, and did not admit of his walking 

 except with a crutch. Still, with all his ancient 

 pluck, he determined to make one more effort last 

 November to get a leg which would combine both 

 riding and walking powers, and up to London he 

 again journeyed as " a forlorn hope." His first essay 

 on horseback with the new leg was round the ring at 

 TattersalPs (Mr. Edmund Tattersall having lent him 

 a Steamer hunter for the purpose), on the very day 

 that " Big Ben " sent forth its first thunder-peals, no 

 doubt in honour of his being " once more on the shop- 

 board." An afternoon's ride round by Earl's Court 

 and Brompton, wound up by two strong gallops down 

 Rotten Bow, where he seemed as much out of season 



