; WAS NEVER SO CARRIED." 47 



found him hesitate on seeing a leap before him, and 

 thought he was sulking a little : however, I persuaded 

 him to go straight for a few fields further, but then 

 perceived symptoms I could not mistake : the stretch- 

 ing out the head, the occasional widening of my 

 knees, and a sob, told the tale : Beggarman was beat. 

 Now I trust I never rode a horse unfairly in my life, 

 and certainly I did not do so in the present case. 

 Still I was wrong. I had been used to sail away on 

 thorough-breds. I could certainly say I rode him as 

 I should have done my own ; but this was the very 

 thing that I should not have done. However, I 

 stopped in time, got out of the way not to disgrace 

 my friend's crack, made a lucky cast, got well in 

 again, saw our fox killed, kept my own counsel, and 

 on my friend asking me how I liked my horse, I said, 

 like old Dick Knight, " was never so carried." Not- 

 withstanding this, I took care to mount myself the 

 next day. 



I may be asked, if this said horse, with fair riding 

 and only list, on him, could not live with hounds in 

 a commonly fair run, how did he get on with 18st.? 

 I will endeavour to account for this, for get on with 

 his master he certainly always did, and was there or 

 thereabouts at the finish. A man of great weight 

 may see a great deal of a run, enough, if he is really 

 fond of hunting, to be able to tell more about how 

 the hounds behaved than half the field who care 

 nothing about them . He may be always near enough 

 for this ; but he must not expect to be at all times 

 with them. Harkaway, if he was a hunter, could not 

 carry the weight and be always there. My friend 

 knew every field and covert in the country; con- 

 sequently he rode at times ( as greyhounds sometimes 



