Dick Christian's Lectitre. 353 



and crossed over between Rocart and Whissendine. 

 Only four of us got over the brook that day ; I was 

 first, and I just looks back and I says, " Now, gentle- 

 men, take up your heel taps ; here's a bumper." That 

 pleased them uncommon ; they all got over. It was 

 full of water, and that seemed to spring us out. 

 Captain Berkeley was third over, and then little 

 Mat Milton, the dealer's son, he got into the water 

 more than any of us, and, blame me, if he didn't 

 begin to cry. The fox was headed at Buckminster, 

 and came back, and the people met us at Woodell 

 Head. 



I had a deal queerer go than that one day, when 

 we found at Cream Gorse. I was on one of Lord Ply- 

 mouth's young horses, and he dropped in the ditch 

 on the other side of a bullfinch : he jumped high 

 enough, but he didn't spread himself. It was a grey 

 he bought of Bill Wright, of Lyssonby. He must have 

 come back on me if I had pulled him ; so I slips off, 

 and let him go, and he ran to Brooksby with them. 

 The whole field, 150 on 'em, were behind me : and I 

 snuggled in against the side of the hedge, and over 

 they goes. I could see the shoes, 600 on 'em, glitter- 

 ing right above and beside me, and not one of them 

 made a mistake : they'd have killed me if they had. 

 I wasn't frightened not I. Just as each of 'em passed 

 over my head, I gives a bit of a shout and a chuckle 

 to 'em for encouragement like. They were all at me 

 next day. First one comes up, and then another, and 

 says, " What the devil, Dick, did you keep hollering 

 at us for, yesterday, at that fence ? We heard you, 

 but we couldn't see you." " You'd have made a noise 

 too," I told 'em, " to see you gentlemen come over me 

 like that." 



The biggest fence I ever took was on one of Sir 



James Musgrave's 4OO-guinea gentlemen : he gave 



Sir James such a purl near Shankton Holt turned 



right over with him. I got off and went to him, but 



A A 



