42 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



commencement of the legitimate hunting season — the first week 

 in November — he availed himself of the privileged period for 

 turning out in everything new. Rejecting the now generally 

 worn cap, he adhered to the heavy, close-napped hat, described in 

 our opening chapter, whose connexion with his head, or back, if 

 it came off, was secured by a small black silk cord, hooked through 

 the band by a fox's tooth, and anchored to a button inside the 

 haven of his low coat-collar. His neck was enveloped in the 

 ample folds of a large white silk cravat, tied in a pointing 

 diamond tie, and secured with a large silver horse-shoe pin, the 

 shoe being almost large enough for the foot of a young donkey. 



His low, narrow-collared coat was of the infinitesimal order ; 

 that is to say, a coat, and yet as little of a coat as possible — very 

 near a jacket, in fact. The seams, of course, were outside, and 

 were it not for the extreme strength and evenness of the sewing 

 and the evident intention of the thing, an ignorant person might 

 have supposed that he had had his coat turned. A double layer 

 of cloth extended the full length of the outside of the sleeves, 

 much in the fashion of the stage-coachmen's great-coats in former 

 times ; and instead of cuffs, the sleeves were carried out to the 

 ends of the fingers, leaving it to the fancy of the wearer to sport 

 a long cuff or a short cuff, or no cuff at all — just as the weather 

 dictated. Though the coat was single-breasted, he had a hole 

 made on the button side, to enable him to keep it together by 

 means of a miniature snaffle, instead of a button. The snaffle 

 passed across his chest, from whence the coatee, flowing easily 

 back, displayed the broad ridge and furrow of a white cord waist- 

 coat, with a low step collar, the vest reaching low down his figure, 

 with large flap pockets and a nick out in front, like a coachman's. 

 Instead of buttons, the waistcoat was secured with foxes' tusks 

 and catgut loops, while a heavy curb chain, passing from one 

 pocket to the other, raised the impression that there was a watch 

 in one and a bunch of seals in the other. The waistcoat was 

 broadly bound with white binding, and, like the coat, evinced 

 great strength and powers of resistance. His breeches were of a 

 still broader furrow than the waistcoat, looking as if the ploughman 

 had laid two ridges into one. They came low down the leg, and 

 were met by a pair of well-made, well put on, very brown topped 

 boots, a colour then unknown at Laverick "Wells. His spurs were 

 bright and heavy, with formidable necks and rowels, whose 

 slightest touch would make a horse wince, and put him on his 

 good behaviour. 



Nor did the great slapping brown horse, Hercules, turn out less 

 imposingly than his master. Leather, though not the man to 

 work himself, had a very good idea of work, and right manfully 

 he made the helpers at the Eclipse livery and bait stables strap 



