1873—74.] THE QUOFxN HUiST TAKES THE WATER. 139 



Lord Grey de Wilton, Mr. G. Moore, and the Reverend AVelter 

 — wlio, following closely one ni)on another, proved too mncli 

 for the strength of a couple of two-inch boards. The bridge 

 bent beneath them ; the side railing gave way ; Lord Grey de 

 Wilton Avas knocked overboard on to the rocks a dozen feet 

 below, his horse apparently on the top of him, and the other 

 two steeds following suit. For a moment or two they were all 

 struggling together, the water dashing over their prostrate 

 fo-rms. Lord Grey rose only to be knocked down again ; his 

 horse then jumped over him into the deep water without 

 touching him, and the three steeds commenced swimming 

 about the pool lilce imprisoned hippopotami. At length they 

 found an outlet into the main stream, and forthwith set out for 

 a voyage down its course. Mr. Welter's sage old hunter soon 

 tired of this novel diversion, and returned to land ; Mr. 

 Moore's was lassoed in a hundred yards or so ; but the other 

 was not restored to terra firma till he had navigated more than 

 half a mile in the direction of Leicester. But the strangest 

 part of the whole proceeding w^as that not one of the per- 

 formers was the worse for either fall or immersion — and the 

 drop on to the almost bare rocks should be seen to be realised. 

 After all, the passage of this terrible bridge (one of the chief 

 actors spoke of it as his jwiis asliiorum) was not productive of 

 any fitting reward ; for no scent could be owned to beyond it, 

 a quarter of an hour's search in all directions — wdiile the body 

 of the field were accompanying the chestnut in his course 

 down the river — proving fruitless. Firr led the hounds back to 

 the milldam; and there, surely enough, Avas Eeynard, still 

 ensconced on the head of an old Avillow tree. Old Bella's 

 howl, as he pinned her by the nose with all the vigour and 

 goodAvill of St. Dunstan, brought all her comrades to the 

 rescue, and a grateful sentiment to Tom Firr's Kps. They 

 stormed the tree trunk with such fury that their enemy aban- 

 doned his stronghold, plunged into the river, and was Avorried 

 in it like an otter. 



