232 SAM DARLING'S REMINISCENCES 



" Cavalry are requested not to loiter here. 

 By Order." 



This had the desired effect. Some time after, 



Lord Methuen was in command of troops that 



were to have manoeuvred in the neigh- 

 Troop- ° 



horses and bourhood again, and after riding over 

 the gallops with me he most kindly and 

 courteously put all the gallops out of bounds, as 

 also did Lord Bath when he was in command of 

 the Yeomanry. This was a little consolation to 

 me after the previous trouble I had experienced. 

 At the same time, I shall always feel grateful to 

 Lord Methuen and Lord Bath for their kindness 

 to me in every way. 



I must mention an incident that took place on 

 my own downs near home during the time the 

 A catastrophe Swindon Yeomanry were out. Sir John 



averted Fuller's troops were bivouacked in 

 one of the valleys near the cantering ground, and 

 when my yearlings, who were only loosed for the 

 second time, started their canter, unperceived by 

 me the troops charged in the rear of the yearlings. 

 I nearly had a fit, as the yearlings were cantering 

 towards a wire fence. I galloped for all I was 

 worth, and halted in front of the troops, holding 

 up my whip. They stopped, and one and all 

 said they were sorry, but they had to obey orders. 

 Fortunately the yearlings pulled up within some 



