First Whipper-in. 213 



home. That was a clever, active little donkey, and would 

 be in, over, or through, whatever the obstacle. 



A good jovial sort was Mr. Clark Nesom, better known 

 as " Clarkie " Nesom of Whitton, who walked several useful 

 puppies but never had the good luck to finish in the first 

 three ; he was a well known figure at the meets on his 

 old white pony " Charlie " — that at the finish must have 

 been close on thirty — and was known all over the country 

 side ; it is astonishing how game ponies are and how long 

 they live, and I can never forget that old pony of old Mr. 

 Dawson's at Park Head ; a fine old gentleman of the old 

 school and thorough foxhunter in younger days was old 

 Mr. Dawson, and he has often told me that he got the 

 grey pony, thirteen hands high, before he was married ; it 

 was three years old when he went courting on it ; and 

 afterwards taught all his family to ride, one or other of 

 whom was always on it when we met in the locality, and 

 what it couldn't get over, it got through or under ; it was 

 still going with the hounds with young George up (and 

 riding, probably, twelve stones) after he had been married 

 thirty years ; and the old gentleman used to say that it was 

 the least expensive horse as regards corn that he ever had, 

 and I don't suppose it got much to his knowledge, but I 

 have an idea that he had some good friends in the family 

 who gave him a bit on the sly ; I believe he was forty- 

 four years of age* when he died. The old gentleman also 

 had another great favourite in the form of a fox terrier, 

 also called " Charlie," which he valued more than anything 



• This is an extraordinary age even for a pony, but Mr. Dawson's son only a few weeks ago 

 assured me that he died about ten years ago, when within two weeks of his forty-fifth 

 birthday ! I knew the pony in 1882, when old Mr. Dawson said he was thirty-three, 

 and had never tasted corn in his hfe. Young Mr Dawson hunted him when 

 thirty-nine. 



