252 ASTONISHING THE NATIVES. 



the first, or among the first, up to every fence : 

 when he came within five yards of it, he threw him- 

 self off his horse, who took it, and was trained to stop 

 short on the other side: through or over went his 

 lordship after him; got in his saddle as quick as 

 Ducrow could have done, and was off again without 

 losing a second. The stiffest bulfinch would neither 

 stop him nor his horse ; through it they went : and as 

 to water, he would take to it or jump it like a red 

 deer, 



I have been accused by some of my friends of 

 having advocated the cause of horse-dealers too fa- 

 vourably; while others of these friends, though on 

 most subjects men of liberal sentiments, have anathe- 

 matised me to my face because I have not, could not, 

 nor will not unite with them in opinion that all horse- 

 dealers are alike, and, being so, are en masse a mass 

 of rascality and extortion. 



The simile of a man being in the humour of a bear 

 with a sore head, if not a very refined or poetic, is 

 at all events a very common one ; but though many 

 thus make use of Bruin to help them out with an 

 idea, few perhaps have had the chance of seeing the 

 gentleman situated as they describe. Now I have, and 

 a monkey too ; and can assure my readers that where 

 the hurt is not of so serious a nature as to call forth 

 compassion, the manner of treating it, and the pitiable 

 look put on by these gentry, is the most ridiculous 

 thing in nature. I make no doubt but a man who 

 has ever been embraced by a bear cannot conceive 

 that he can handle anything with gentleness; but 

 let them see him sitting down and rubbing his hurt 

 head, they will find he does it with considerably 

 more gentleness than many a hired nurse, or many 



