460 MR, THOMAS ROBINSON. 



were shut, and the filly charged them and got safely 

 over, though hitting them very hard. This or some- 

 thing else unseated Spriggs, who fell into the muck- 

 yard on the other side, without receiving any actual 

 bodily injury ; although the shock had been sufficient 

 to upset his entire nervous system, with the result, as 

 Mr. Robinson said, that he himself would have to 

 finish breaking the colt — a pretty stiff undertaking 

 for a man of his years. 



Now, without exaggeration, I should say that the 

 yard-gates were over six feet high. Not that such a 

 height is anything very extraordinary in the way of a 

 jump, as we are told Mr. Mytton cleared a gate seven 

 feet high on his horse Baronet, in the presence of 

 ' Nimrod,' the sporting writer of that day. Mr. Sadler, 

 too, had a horse that jumped over a flight of hurdles 

 stood up end-ways, which is nine feet. This he did 

 to get from one paddock to the other, but he had no 

 rider on him. But the jump was remarkable in the 

 fact that probably the filly never saw a fence before, 

 or rather never jumped over one, and that the man 

 on her back was sixty years old or more. 



It was on this occasion that Mr. Robinson told me 

 of the story he had once heard of a precocious youth 

 who was brought up to show his learning, by re- 

 peating the alphabet to the clergyman. 



' Now, Tommy,' said his proud instructor, ' let 

 the gentleman hear how nicely you can say your 

 letters.' 



