RECORD OF CAPTAIN BEECHER 109 



on the off-side, the horse made a mistake and hit the rails, 

 and in an instant the Captain was over his head. The 

 place is called Beecher's Brook to this day. When riding 

 at Waltham Abbey he was thrown upon his stomach on 

 to some stubble, yet he contrived to catch his horse, 

 remount, and overtake the field at the last fence. Yet 

 such was the severity of the fall, that for hours he lost the 

 power of speech. 



There was a good deal of jealousy of " the amateur " 

 among the professional jocks, who were in the habit of 

 pooh-poohing the Captain. " Now we'll see what the 

 gentleman jock can do," said a very confident specimen 

 once, when the two were in the weighing-room. What the 

 gentleman did was to drive Master Jock into a furze bush 

 and leave him there. 



Beecher was hale and hearty to the last, and his closing 

 years were spent in affluence and comfort, surrounded 

 by staunch friends, till "the common lot" befell him, 

 in November 1864. 



