1 86 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



Watchmaker, Lord Foley, and Lindon, who appeared to 

 be just about my own age. This gave me encouragement. 

 ' I see the young ones can do it,' said I ; ' so I must not 

 despair.' But where were the old ones ? Why, in about 

 three more fields I heard a thrilling scream, that seemed 

 to enter into my soul, and looking to my left, there saw 

 Mr. Meynell, and also Mr. Loraine Smith, who, having 

 taken advantage of a turn, the result of a quick eye, were 

 then close to the pack. But where was Martin Hawke, of 

 whose desperate style of riding I had been told so much 

 by Mr. Somerby. He was not then to be seen, having 

 had a fall over a gate which would have stopped a red- 

 deer. But what surprised me most, was the pace at which 

 Lord Sefton passed me in the middle of a large field, and 

 the quickness with which he made up his ground, having 

 had a bad start. Young Kaven, the huntsman's son, 

 however, was behind him, mounted on one of his horses, 

 on to which he jumped at the very first opportunity ; and 

 well it was that he did so, for neither money nor condi- 

 tion could maintain that speed long under sixteen stone. 

 Still there were several heavy men going well ; amongst 

 them, Mr. Lockly, on a superb horse, called Confidence, 

 for which I heard he had refused 800 guineas. But this 

 reminds me of a sad disaster, which chilled the pleasure 

 of this fine run. At the first check, Mr. Loraine Smith's 

 horse, whose name I understood was Hollyhock, and for 

 which Lord Sefton had offered him the above-named sum, 

 dropped down dead, from a rupture of a blood-vessel at 

 the heart. Neither was this the sole disaster. A horse 

 called Hermit, ridden by Captain St. Paul, and which he 

 had only just purchased at the, even then, stiff price of 

 700 guineas, stood stock-still in the middle of a field, and 

 was only saved from death by copious bleeding by his 

 master. This, however, gave rise to a rather ludicrous 

 circumstance. A caricature appeared in London, repre- 

 senting the scene, these words being written underneath 

 it : 'An apostle administering comfort to a distressed 

 hermit.' 



"Up to this time say twenty minutes I had been 

 carried, as I thought, well ; indeed, one gentleman, whose 

 name I did not know, said to me, ' You are going well, 

 sir ; ' upon which I stroked my horse's neck with my 

 hand, and said to myself, ' I have got a superior horse.' 

 But I was rather premature in my praises. He very soon 



