1 66 LIFE OF MYTTON. 



The first obstacle was the sunk fence, into which, 

 as may be expected, he was landed ; but the opposite 

 side being on a gradual slope, from bottom to top, 

 the carriage and its inmate, by dint of whipping, were 

 drawn out without receiving any injury. Nowise dis- 

 concerted, he sent his team at the next fence — the wide 

 drain — and such was the pace he went at, that it was 

 cleared by a yard, or more ; but the jerk pitched 

 Mytton on the wheeler's back. Crawling over the 

 dashing-leather, he resumed his seat, and got his 

 horses again into the proper direction, and taking 

 the two remaining fences in gallant style, got safe 

 into the turnjjike road, and won his wager. This 

 occurred at Mr. Walford's of Cronkhill, about four 

 miles from Shrewsbury." 



The above appears somewhat of a miraculous 

 adventure ; but that Mytton was equal to the at- 

 tempt, no one who knew him as well as I knew him 

 would doubt. Indeed I have alreadv stated a fact (I 

 think in my "Shropshire Tour") bearing some rela- 

 tion to it. He was driving me from Shrewsbury to 

 Chillington to dinner, and after one or two trifling 

 occurrences, such as knocking down a bullock, and 

 breaking a shaft of the gig on the road, we found 

 ourselves in an awkward predicament. By having 



