58 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



ruins of a priory, founded by Richard, brother of 

 Henry III., and here there is a cavern known as 

 St. Robert's Cave, where Eugene Aram — now so well 

 known, owing to Lord Lytton's famous novel — com- 

 mitted the murder in 1745, of which he w^as, fifteen 

 years afterwards, convicted. 



Metcalf lost his sight when only six years of age 

 from an attack of small-pox. He was in later years 

 a great horseman, and used even to follow the hounds; 

 he knew his way all over the country within many 

 miles of his home. He is said to have constantly 

 ridden races, and was also an excellent horse-dealer. 

 He used to gain a knowledge of the shape of the 

 horses he purchased by his extremely delicate and 

 susceptible touch ; he would also judge of their sound- 

 ness by ear, as when they were trotted or walked 

 past him, he very quickly detected any inequality in 

 their tread. Both of these means of judging of a 

 horse's soundness are to be commended even to 

 persons having the use of both eyes, since when the 

 eye cannot detect, the touch or hearing may frequently 

 do so. Metcalf was a proficient in many games which 

 one would suppose would require the use of both 

 eyes. Besides, he was a good violinist ; in fact, he 

 performed feats that required skill, courage, and activity, 

 which would have intimidated many men w^ho were 

 possessed of perfect eyesight. Perhaps one of the 

 most remarkable of his qualities was his wonderful 

 ability for finding his way on strange roads, and 

 actually taking a survey of the country when about 

 to construct a new road; and yet he never encountered 

 any molestation, and was never robbed or ill-treated in 

 the course of his travels. 



To give some idea of the rate at which coaches 



