YORKSHIRE 301 



to them. — "Take care of the hounds, Sir," said Matt}'. — "Oh!" 

 rephed the gentleman, "my horse never kicks hounds." — "Perhaps 

 not, Sir," rephed Matty in his dry way, ''hut he may tread on their 

 tails." On another occasion a young and zealous fox-hunter was 

 riding too near his darlings in chase. Matty checked him. He was 

 again on the line. Matty rated him again; and at last insisted upon 

 his riding behind himself. The young one acquiesced, and so went 

 on till towards the end of the run, when Matty's mare began to 

 flag. — " Get forward, Sir," said Matty ; " ride as hard as you can." — 

 " Zounds ! " said the young one ; " did you not tell me I was to ride 

 behind ?/o?t .? "— " Why yes, I did," said Matty; "Ixit you may gang 

 along now, as mayhap you'll tice my old mare after thee." 



Matty once came to a brook — I beg pardon, a stell — which he did 

 not like to ride at, so walked through it, and told his whipper-in 

 (Tommy) to turn the old mare to him. The old mare woixld not 

 have it ; so what was to be done? "Turn thy oicn over, Tommy," 

 said his master, "and then mine will follow." — Tommy's horse got 

 over; but the old mare would not look at it. What was now to be 

 done ? The hounds were running hard. Why, the master jumped 

 upon the man's horse and rode away to his hounds. Tommy 

 exclaiming, loud enough to be heard by him, " Dom thee for a 

 . . . ., but that's not fair ! " 



I have already stated that Mr. Matthew Wilkinson is not much 

 under the discipline of art. He might say with a certain great 

 personage, " By the grace of God, I am what I am ; " but from all 

 I had heard of himself and his man, of the rhinoceros breeches and 

 the oil-skin hat, the odd spur, the new-fashioned whip, and other 

 specimens of " d — n all dandies school," I was prepared to meet 

 with something still more out of the common tvay. This, however, 

 was not the case. Tommy, with the exception of his topper, was as 

 well rigged as any whipper-in for a rough country need to be ; and 

 as for the Squire, although perhaps it might be as well to stop at the 

 letter M, and call him Matty, and not Natty, yet there was nothing 

 extraordinary in his appearance. Some there are who cannot 

 reconcile themselves to the innovations of fashion, and Mr. Matthew 

 Wilkinson appears to be one ; but, with reverence be it spoken, 

 he is a good sportsman, and what matters the cut of his coat ! 



