A DIFFICULT LINE OF COUNTRY 175 



over a rough pasture, they had to cross a macadam- 

 ised country road (which had just enough ditch on 

 each side, without the exercise of great care on the 

 part of the rider, to throw a horse down), going 

 over about two hundred yards of rough old grass, 

 and arriving at the big double into the finishing 

 field. First, a wide ditch met your view, which 

 must be jumped with a stiff fence into a \yide landing 

 place, with rotten stumps and big elm trees growing 

 at intervals, making it more like a spinney than a 

 hedge ; then another fence, with a big yawning 

 ditch beyond, which must be jumped to find a 

 landing-place into the winning field. The finishing 

 flags were placed in this enclosure, which was a level 

 grazing meadow, and were about four hundred yards 

 from the fence. I saw the close of this so-called 

 race, which was won by a horse called ' Vanish,' a 

 useful, racing-looking, well-bred nag, belonging to 

 a farmer named Harris, living at Hampden, on the 

 Chiltern Hills. The winner was so distressed, that, 

 although he managed to jump the first hedge and 

 land on the bank, he could scarcely stand, and some 

 bystanders assisted in getting him into the second 

 ditch, where the rider dismounted, and with further 

 help dragged him out, when he remounted, making 

 a slow canter between the flags and won the race. 

 The second horse then appeared on the scene, was 

 pushed into the first ditch, and fell utterly beaten 

 on the landing ; after a few minutes he arose, and, 

 riderless, got into the second ditch, where with 

 difficulty he was pulled out, his jockey mounting. 



