8 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



themselves in perfect freedom from labour, and in full 

 supply of all that old age requires. Each of the fields had 

 a comfortable shed, to which they could resort, to protect 

 themselves from cold in winter, as well as from the gad- 

 fly in the summer, and in which, in the first-named 

 season, was the well-furnished hay-crib, and, occasionally, 

 still more nourishing food. Mr. Eaby took a pleasure 

 in exhibiting these pensioners to his friends. " These 

 animals have been all valuable sei'vants to me," he would 

 say, on such occasions, " and have strong claims upon my 

 protection. That roan gelding, which has now scarcely a 

 leg to support his body upon, carried me, with my hounds, 

 thirteen seasons, and only, to my recollection, gave me 

 five falls, two of which were not to be laid to his account. 

 He was once as proud and prancing as he is now humble 

 and decrepid, and, I fear, I shall soon be obliged to have 

 an end put to his days, as a lesser evil of two. Yon milk- 

 white horse once a dark iron-grey, dragging his slow 

 length along was, in the days of his youth, for I bred 

 him, such a roving, riotous fellow, that no hedge or gate 

 could keep him within bounds, and it was a day's work to 

 catch him. Then, when caught, he was no horse for me ; 

 but as I happened at that time to have a sort of dare-devil 

 lad, as whipper-in, who valued him for his skittishness 

 and impetuosity, he made him an excellent hunter. Now 

 such was precisely the character of this lad himself, who, 

 after rather a wild, but not vicious career, sobered down, 

 like his colt, into an excellent servant, and lived with me, 

 as a whipper-in, till his death, which was occasioned by a 

 bad fall, but not from that horse. In fact, the horse and 

 his rider appeared to reform themselves together. But 

 the most extraordinary animal here is that strawberry- 

 coloured mare, which you see reposing in the shade. She 

 was purchased out of a hack-chaise, for the sum of twenty- 

 five guineas, by my huntsman, who took a fancy to her ; 

 and, although, as you will perceive, showing no signs of 

 high breeding, nor yet of much speed, she proved the best 

 hunter, for the weight she had to carry, I have ever yet 

 seen. It is evident that neither her sire nor her dam 

 could have been of pure racing blood ; but report says that 

 the latter was brought into this county by some gipsies 

 from the New Forest, in Hampshire, and hence her 

 excellence is accounted for. She was, I am inclined to 

 think, the produce of the celebrated Marske, the sire of 



