" WAS NEVER SO CARRIED." 47 



found him hesitate on seeing a leap before him, and 

 thought he was sulking a little : however, I persuaded 

 him to go straight for a few -fields further, but then 

 perceived symptoms I could not mistake : the stretch- 

 ing out the head, the occasional widening of my 

 knees, and a sob, told the tale : Beggarman was beat. 

 Now I trust I never rode a horse unfairly in my life, 

 and certainly I did not do so in the present case. 

 Still I was wrong. I had been used to sail away on 

 thorough-breds. I could certainly say I rode him as 

 I should have done my own ; but this was the very 

 thing that I should not have done. However, I 

 stopped in time, got out of the way not to disgrace 

 my friend's crack, made a lucky cast, got well in 

 again, saw our fox killed, kept my own counsel, and 

 on my friend asking me how I liked my horse, I said, 

 like old Dick Knight, " was never so carried." Not- 

 withstanding this, I took care to mount myself the 

 next day. 



I may be asked, if this said horse, with fair riding 

 and only list, on him, could not live with hounds in 

 a commonly fair run, how did he get on with 18st.? 

 I will endeavour to account for this, for get on with 

 his master he certainly always did, and was there or 

 thereabouts at the finish. A man of great weight 

 may see a great deal of a run, enough, if he is really 

 fond of hunting, to be able to tell more about how 

 the hounds behaved than half the field who care 

 nothing about them. He may be always near enough 

 for this ; but he must not expect to be at all times 

 ivith them. Harkaway, if he was a hunter, could not 

 carry the weight and be always there. My friend 

 knew every field and covert in the country; con- 

 sequently he rode at times ( as greyhounds sometimes 



