First Whipper-in. 131 



the new huntsman?" He said, "No, it's the first whip." 

 I flew over, and heard him muttering something in the way 

 of Parhamentary language, which his second horseman 



passed on to me. He was wishing to he was my 



weight ; " he wouldn't be leading over then ! " No more he 

 would, for at one time no doubt nothing would or could 

 have stopped him.* Two or three seasons later we were 

 running by White Hurworth, and hounds were going nicely. 

 He was enjoying his favourite singing and whistling as he 

 did when hounds ran, very nearly doing both, when we 

 came to a drop fence, at which he unfortunately over-balanced 

 himself, and went over his horse's head, his mount pecking a 

 bit. I shall never forget it to the longest day I live ; he 

 fell with such a " whop ! " It clean knocked all the wind 

 out of him. I caught his horse, and found him sitting on 

 the bank, pumping wind. It was impossible not to help 

 laughing, and I did laugh. He says, "I'll soon be all right; 

 give me my horse, and go on. Jack; I'll soon catch you," 

 but we ran straight to Castle Eden Dene, and he did not 

 put in an appearance again that day ! I believe that Mr. 

 Johnson hunted from Cheltenham for two seasons, with the 

 Cotswold, when the country was first divided ; the best 

 horse he had in my time was called " The Major," a real 

 nailer, and a brown. Generally, he had four horses standing 

 at Sedgefield, and there was no better supporter of fox- 



• Mr. T. B Briggs has kindly given me an account of the most appalling looking place he 

 ever saw the adventurous "Dickey" Johnson tackle. "It was a wicket gate four feet high 

 on the top of four stone steps of exactly the same height, and there appeared to be no 

 other possible outlet at that end of the field. Johnson was not the man to make his exit 

 from a field by the way he had come in, so took his horse back a bit, and charged the 

 gate for all he was worth. His chance appeared to lie in breasting it, and carrying it 

 away, but it was narrow, and he took gate and both posts away with him, and carried 

 them into the field, escaping, as was his wont, without a fall or even damage to his horse. 

 It was all I could do to surmount the minor obstacle which remained. 



