57 



He was riding for the gateway intending to gallop through, b^t 

 unfortunately, just as he came within fifteen or twenty yards of it, 

 a frightened sheep hit the gate M'ith its horns and knocked the prop 

 away, and, beautifully hung as most Leicestershire gates are, it began 

 at once to close. He knew that it was impossible to pull up within 

 the distance, but, although the gate was too high to be jumped, he 

 •was in hopes that the tremendous pace at which he was going would 

 liave carried him bang through it. Unfortunately it did not close 

 sufficiently quick, and it caught the horse on the shoulder in front of 

 Lord Waterford's knee, shutting the horse in and sending him with 

 Jiis chest against the post with such force that, although as thick as 

 a man's body, it was snapped off short at the ground. His lordship, 

 to prevent his legs being broken against the post, threw his feet out 

 of the stirrups ; there was therefore nothing to lessen the force of the 

 €ollision, which was simply tremendous. In addition, he caught his 

 foot in the gate and was pulled off, but, strange to say, he did not at 

 the time feel much hurt, and he was able to finish the run. 



He rode back to Tilton, and that evening made a long speech at 

 ■a political meeting for Lord John Manners, the present Duke of 

 Hutland, who then represented that constituency. The fall took place 

 upon a Tuesday. Lord Waterford hunted with the Belvoir on 

 Wednesday,'and with Sir Bache Cunard's Hounds on Thursday, and it 

 was not until that evening, when returning from a very good day's 

 sport, that he suddenly found his legs, from his waist down, had lost 

 nearly all sensation. It was an exceedingly cold evening, so he 

 believed he had got a chill, but he did not for a moment dream that 

 his back was injured. He went out again upon Friday, with the 

 Quorn and never rode better in his life. He had perfect power in his 

 legs, but he had no sensation in them. On Saturday morning he saw 

 his medical man, who arrived when his lordship was half dressed to 

 go out hunting again. The doctor at once said that by reason of the 

 terrific shock he had received three days before he had sustained 

 .seyere concussion of the spine and injured the sensory nerves of his 

 spinal cord. 



From that injury Lord Waterford has ever since suffered. He was 

 six months confined to bed, and to the sofa for four years. During 

 that long period he at frequent intervals suffered great pain, some- 

 times for a fortnight or three weeks together, and, in the early stage, 

 much longer. The treatment which has done him most good is that 

 of the actual cautery. This has been applied down the spine some 

 thirty or forty times. In other words, thus often has he been fired 

 with a red-hot iron exactly as a horse is. 



Of late he has been making a gradual improvement, and he is now 

 able to drive himself about and to walk at a time 300 or 400 yards ; 

 this, until now (the summer of 1892), he has never been able to do 

 since he met with the accident. He now enjoys excellent health, 

 and better still it is to know that a total recovery is looked forward 

 to with confidence by his medical attendants. 



