174 Remiaiscencet of a 



his hand to anything ; he was always up to a lark, and 

 there was a good deal of John Bull about him. One day 

 he borrowed Mr. John Stephenson's terrier, " Old Duster,' 

 that used to be at the kennels and hunt with us, to go and 

 thrash a terrier belonging to a watchmaker at Stokesley. 1 

 think his name was Mr. Unthank, better known, perhaps, as 

 " Clocky Unthank." The Stokesley terrier was a bit of a 

 bully, and knocked down every other terrier in the town, 

 till " Old Duster " appeared, and shook his commission." 

 When Mr. " Clocky " saw the " red light," and thought that 

 he had had enough, he asked Mr. Denton to part them, 

 which Mr. Denton declined to do, unless each took hold of 

 his dog's tail ; when parted, Mr. Unthank asked Mr. Denton 

 whose dog it was, and Mr. Denton pretended that it was 

 quite a stranger to him. Then the Stokesley clock maker 

 offered to take and keep the dog until his owner turned up, 

 which Mr. Denton declined; as he'd befriended the dog in 

 the battle he thought he was entitled to take care of him 

 until his owner turned up, and he marched off with him in 

 triumph. How Claxon and 1 laughed when he told us the 

 whole story, probably with some " extras " of his own, but 

 the above is exactly what did happen. 



Mr. John Stephenson, also of Norton, who was son 

 of Mr. Stephenson of Hart, the well-known breeder of 

 " Voltigeur," also frequently hunted with us — and a very good 

 fox preserver and puppy walker he was. His best horse, 

 I think, was a good weight-carrying bay hunter called 

 Beverley, 16 hands 2 high. He was a fine timber jumper, 

 as is referred to in verse 35, page 76 of this book. 



Amongst others we then had out were Major Ropner 

 (now Sir Robert Ropner) who entered heart and soul into 

 the fun, as they tell me he does in all that he under- 



