372 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. A 



M 



was succeeded by a smash against a tree towards the 

 river in front, and then I ran down. The fact was, 

 the hounds who had not been out had raised a cry at 

 the return of their companions, and the horse taking 

 fright, threw the ladies into a hedge, and turning his 

 steps to my door, instead of stopping, kept his course 

 over the lawn, knocked off the body of the phaeton 

 against a tree, and plunged into the river, then in 

 flood, with the harness, long reins, and shafts hanging 

 to him, swimming down the stream, under the bridge, 

 into deeper w^ater, Avhere there was no possibility of 

 landing for a mile. When I reached the bank of the 

 river, the horse was swimming on towards Odell, and 

 the stream so strong that there was no saying where 

 the reins were ; so I did not like to swim in that 

 strong stream, among such hampering gear, but tore 

 up pieces of turf, and pelted the nose of the horse, to 

 try and turn him. In this I succeeded, and, when 

 nearly exhausted, he turned against the stream. I 

 soon made out the position of everything, and then 

 swam in to his head. He was so frightened, that 

 when I put my left hand on his mane, he neighed in 

 my ear, as if in joy at my arrival ; and my first 

 action was to haul up the long reins, and fasten them 

 to the rings, to prevent the action of the water on the 

 bit. I patted, and encouraged, and hit him to greater 

 exertion, for at first it was a toss-up who was strongest, 

 he or the stream ; but by dint of increased action he 

 beat the current, and reached a gravelly shoal, on which 

 T let him rest, and then, with a second struggle, landed 

 him in the road at the foot of the bridge. The in- 

 stant he was out of the water he set to kicking, and it 

 was with the greatest difficulty that he was secured. 

 At last I had the satisfaction of leading the old fa- 



