148 Life and Times of " The Druid." 



had indulged enough in mere table-talk, and 

 hence I determined to make a gig-survey of 

 Leicestershire with him by my side, and ask 

 him to point out the leading features in that 

 Waterloo of his existence, where he had so 

 often fallen and fought again next day. The 

 season was hardly in character with the trip. 

 Thorpe Trussels was radiant with dog-roses, 

 and honey-suckles clustered among the hedges 

 of Ashby Pasture ; but he assured me that 

 his hunting recollections were just as vivid 

 in summer as in winter, and soon sketched 

 out a comprehensive journey through the 

 Belvoir, the Cottesmore, and Quorn coun- 

 tries. Three sunny mornings we proceeded 

 merrily on our way ; and although Dick 

 added another tumble to his mammoth bead- 

 roll, and although the jolting occupation- 

 roads threatened at intervals to play havoc 

 with my notes, I found his geography of 

 the most jocular order, and travelled over 

 his memory with a will." 



The additional tumble mentioned in the 

 above passage came about in the following 

 way. The well-matched pair were pro- 

 ceeding in their gig, when Dick observed : 



