24 How I Became a Sportsmax. 



The effect was immediate : away he bolted, 

 but it was only for about fifteen or twenty 

 yards, for seeing the coach-house door open, in 

 he went, rubbing my knees most unpleasantly 

 against the carriage-wheels, and no persuasion 

 of mine, gentle or simple, would induce him 

 to move again. 



All this time my father was watching the 

 operations over the blind of his study window, 

 holding his sides with laughing, and with 

 the tears streaming down his cheeks. He 

 declared afterwards, that the absurdity of the 

 whole performance so tickled his fancy, and he 

 burst into such uncontrollable laughter, that he 

 was quite powerless to come to my assistance, 

 or even to call for help. Fortunately, however, 

 one of the servants had also seen it, and sent 

 old Tom the groom, who soon lugged me off, 

 and took the animal back to the stable. 



Tom said if I would wait till he had had his 

 " bit of nunch " (he had just come in from 

 delivering a note some five miles off for my 

 father, and on these occasions always had 

 some bread and meat, or cheese, and beer) he 

 would go with me, and see if he could not 

 make him go all right. Now this '' bit of 



