^Nimrod ' 



himself upon Ashton. ' For Heaven's sake, take care of 

 my hounds, in case they may throw up in the lane.* Snob 

 is here in the best company, and that moment perhaps the 

 happiest of his life ; but, not satisfied with his situation, 

 wishing to out-Herod Herod, and to have a fine story to tell 

 when he gets home, he pushes to his speed on ground on 

 which all regular Leicestershire men are careful, and the 

 death-warrant of the little bay horse is signed. It is true 

 he gets first to the gate, and has no idea of opening it ; sees 

 it contains five new and strong bars, that will neither bend 

 nor break ; has a great idea of a fall, but no idea of refusing, 

 presses his hat firmly on his head, and gets his whip-hand 

 at liberty to give the good little nag a refresher ; but all at 

 once he perceives it will not do. When attempting to 

 collect him for the effort, he finds his mouth dead and his 

 neck stiff ; fancies he hears something like a wheezing in 

 his throat ; and discovering quite unexpectedly that the 

 gate would open, wisely avoids a fall, which was hooked 

 had he attempted to leap it. He pulls up, then, at the 

 gate ; and as he places the hook of his whip under the 

 latch, John White goes over it close to the hinge-post, and 

 Captain Ross, upon Clinker, follows him. The Reviewer 

 then walks through. 



The scene now shifts. On the other side of the lane is 

 a fence of this description : it is a newly plashed hedge, 

 abounding in strong growers, as they are called, and a 

 yawning ditch on the other side ; but as is peculiar to 

 Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, a considerable por- 



171 



