My eyes ! he made them handy. Those were dif- 

 ferent days : you might find at Melton Spinney, and 

 run to Billesdon Coplow, and not cross a ploughed 

 field. People will hardly believe me when I tell them : 

 they say, "Come, none of your nonsense, Dick!" 



I once did a tremendous day's work with a four- 

 year-old; Fll tell you all about it. The Duke 

 of Grafton, he bought a mare from me ; he was 

 uncommon pleased with her, to be sure; then he 

 wrote me if I had another horse of my own breaking, 

 to meet him at Northampton. I was well paid for 

 my trouble, but we did not deal. Next morning, 

 " The Squire" met at Clipston ; I starts at half-past 

 eight. "We had two good runs of more than an hour 

 each, and left off at Sibbertoft ; that would be thirty 

 miles from Melton, and I got home that night, both of 

 us as well and fresh as could be. I sold that horse to 

 Thomas, the London dealer, for 250. Lord South- 

 ampton, he once bought a rare thirteen-hand pony of 

 me for 30 guineas, when I broke his horses at Quorn j 

 Dick Burton used to get on him to draw covers. 



The gentlemen used to make a regular fox of me, 

 when they came home from hunting, but I never 

 was ketched. Mr. Gilmour very nearly did it once, 

 though, but I just jumped the fence into the Melton 

 Turnpike before him. Lord Molyneux, he was pre- 

 cious near having me : It seems like yesterday. Lord 

 Plymouth was uncommonly fond of that game ; he 

 used to say, as they rode home from hunting/" Better 

 let Christian be a fox for you he's not had much to 

 do to-day ; it will do my young horse good/' I had 

 lots of tumbles when I was a fox, but they gave me 

 good law ; it was grand fun for them. Lord Moly- 

 neux once gave me a rare tying up : it was a capital 

 lark, that was. They started me below Corby, and 

 up to the Bull at Witham Common; he was only 

 twenty yards off me, was his Lordship, when I got 

 to the Bull. " I'd like to have had you, Dick," he 



