HUMOURS OF TOMMY COLEMAN 103 



the clerk gave out that there would be no service that after- 

 noon, the parson having gone to Lewes races. These 

 began on the Monday, and as the parish I am speaking of 

 was in another county and railways were not in existence, 

 he could not wait for afternoon service. Some busybody, 

 being shocked by this, posted off to the Bishop of 

 Winchester, and with a long face complained that the 

 parson had gone to the races. Instead of the burst of 

 indignation he had expected, the Bishop said very quietly, 

 " And what of that ? " " But he is going to ride ! " said 

 the informer. "Is he? Then I'll bet you two to one he 

 wins," was the quick rejoinder. 



And it was whilst I was in Tommy Coleman's company 

 at an election dinner at the famous Peahen at St Albans 

 that I heard the following story of Tom Hills, huntsman of 

 the " Old Surrey " :— 



One evening Tom was told to ride to Leadenhall Market 

 and buy the finest fox he could find, and to be careful of 

 him, as there were to be many crack riders out next day at 

 a lawn meet handy, and sport of some kind must be a 

 certainty. Tom did not like the job, but he started from 

 the kennels — then at Shirley — rode to London, met with 

 the object of his inglorious pursuit, and having strapped 

 him gingerly so as to be free from harm, deposited him, 

 legs upwards, in the capacious pocket of a large blouse 

 which he used for conveying cubs into any part of the 

 country which happened to be short of foxes. Cantering 

 back at dead of night, a highwayman stopped him on 

 Streatham Common, and seized his horse's head with the 

 familiar greeting, "Your money or your life." "My 

 money ? I'm only a servant. I haven't got any," answered 

 Tom; "and you wouldn't care to take my life, surely?" 

 The ruffian paid no heed to this appeal, but presenting a 

 pistol at the huntsman's head said, with an oath, " No lies ; 

 look sharp, young fellow, or I shall rattle a bullet through 

 you." Tom's presence of mind did not forsake him. 

 " Well, we won't fall out," he said ; " I don't want to lose my 

 life, so I suppose I must pay for it. You'll find whatever 

 of value I've got about me in this pocket," pointing to the 

 one in which the captive fox was reclining. The highway- 



