Breeding of Himters. 251 



rode up, and on hearing his lordship endorse Mr. Den- 

 ham's statement that he had never in his life seen a 

 horse that could go better, if so well, to hounds, the 

 bargain was then and there closed for guineas. At 

 first they had rather a weary time with him at Tid- 

 worth. Mr. Smith sent him home on hunting days 

 seven or eight times before he could ride him with 

 confidence ; and there is a legend that he not only 

 ran clean away for miles with George Carter, but the 

 latter assured his master, when he proposed another 

 mount, that he would rather run on foot than get on 

 him. His master, however, charmed the chestnut into 

 a softer mood at last, and on December I5th of the 

 following year, he wrote Mr. Denham to say that he 

 had "got him to go as quiet as any horse in my 

 stable ;" adding, " I have hunted a great number of 

 years, I have kept hounds and hunted them for thirty- 

 eight years, and I am quite sure I never had such a 

 horse as he is before, and fully believe I never saw 

 such a one." In reply to his further request, that Mr. 

 Denham would trace his pedigree, the later could only 

 reply, " All that I know is that he came from Ireland, 

 rejoicing in the name of The Devil, having run away 

 with nearly all the people that had ridden him, and 

 he gave me several wet jackets before I could manage 

 him." The Widow, a fine sixteen-hand brown mare, 

 was also a great wonder among Irish mares ; and it 

 was no ordinary sight to see her carry Mr. John 

 Massey Stanley, who must have ridden full seventeen 

 stone, in the front rank over the stiffest part of 

 Cheshire, for five-and-thirty minutes, till she was 

 absolutely beaten to a standstill by the size of the 

 fences and the weight and stick-at-nothing style of 

 her rider. 



At the time (1811) that Will Danby, since of the 

 Hurworth, who " has hunted every corner of York- 

 shire, from Spurn Point to Westmoreland, and from 

 the German Ocean to Derbyshire," during his long 



