The Revs. H. P. Costobadie and J. W. King 51 



There are few more fruitful sources of adventure than exploring 

 bridle-paths in dogcarts, but when the vehicle is drawn by a 

 tandem, as it was in this case, it seems rather like challenging 

 fate. On the whole, he was lucky, for the worst that befell him 

 was to come to a place that was just too narrow to allow the 

 dogcart to pass through. Perhaps to the acquiescent souls of a 

 later generation this would have been a small matter, to be set 

 right by turning cheerfully back and going by the road. Not so 

 with the Vicar, however. He unharnessed the horses, tied them 

 to a tree, took one wheel off the dogcart, man-handled it through 

 the narrow place, re-harnessed the horses, and finished the 

 journey in triumph to his own satisfaction. 



Turn back, indeed ! 



There seems to me something symbolical in the high, un- 

 compromising stocks worn by the country gentlemen of those 

 days, that permitted no weak vacillation, but held the head 

 always severely to the front. A stiff-necked generation, with- 

 out a doubt. It reminds me of the incident at the Battle of the 

 Alma, when some of our troops found themselves drawn up 

 within range of a dropping fire from the heights, which they 

 could not return, but, although they were not in action at the 

 time, they never dreamed of moving back a few hundred yards, 

 preferring to sit still and lose men. Brave days, no doubt ; 

 but times change, and I fear the officer responsible would be 

 promptly court-martialled in these practical times. 



The Reverend " Costo " was born at Wensley rectory, in 

 Yorkshire, in 1804, and began to show a love for horseflesh at 

 an early age. While still a tiny child he was often found watch- 

 ing the horses at exercise in the early mornings at a well-known 

 training stable not far off. He was at Harrow with Lord Pal- 

 merston and Sir Robert Peel, and then went to St. John's College, 

 Cambridge, where it has been wrongly stated that he was con- 

 temporary with Charlotte Bronte's father. This little slip 

 appeared in that charming book, " The Annals of the Billesden 

 Hunt," compiled by the rector's son. Captain F. Palisser Costo- 

 badie, who has very kindly allowed me to use several stories of 

 his father that appear in it. The mistake about Bronte arose, 

 he tells me, through Bronte's father having been at the same 

 college, but having left shortly before Mr. Costobadie went up. 



While at Cambridge, Mr. Costobadie had a friend called 



