Devonshire 107 



different place from the former crossing, but before reach- 

 ing it you have to gallop a quarter of a mile, down hill, 

 along a turnpike road. That tries unsound legs and feet, 

 with a vengeance ! Afterwards you drop into the river 

 again, crawl up the opposite bank, jump a hurdle as soon 

 as ever you reach terra firma, and find you are at the 

 winning post. Certainly it is productive of much fun 

 and merriment, and yet it requires a good horse to win, 

 and a bold rider, for they breed some good horses in 

 Devonshire, and ride them well into the bargain ! 



An extremely good horse was a frequent winner at 

 this epoch, belonging to a miller, " Barumite," by " Gemma 

 di Vergy," a son of " Sir Hercules." This horse had been at 

 the stud ever since he was two years old, and being an 

 aged horse at this time was very often competing against 

 his own stock. It was said that his owner had refused 

 a thousand guineas for him, a very great price in those days 

 for a steeplechase horse, but he must have made a great 

 deal of money by him, for, if report spoke truly, sometimes 

 more was made by his losing than when he won. When- 

 ever his long flowing tail was seen floating out proudly as 

 he galloped, it was safe to back him; but if his tail 

 was tied up in a club, it was wiser to back the second 

 favourite ! ! I once went to Torquay to ride him, but 

 almost at the very last moment it was intimated to me 

 that the miller wished to ride him himself — the only time 

 I ever knew him do so. There was but just time to tie his 

 tail up, and I watched the proceeding rather mournfully, 

 for I should have dearly liked the mount. " Barumite " 

 " refused " before he had gone half a mile, and was pulled 

 up. The public took it rather badly on that occasion, and 

 rather forcibly desired an explanation, but the jockey did not 



