Dick Christian again, 3 



"* I used to sleep on my right side, now I goes on my 

 left." ^^AkT' he says, "/ have it: yoiire as sound 

 on your left side as any child ; ifs a touch of the liver ;'^ 

 bad cold, something like the agey. So I come back 

 to Melton. 



They've got quite to call me " The The effect of 

 Emperor'' down here. I heard nothing ^is '• Post and 

 of it till Mr. Kirk, he comes to me at ture on society 

 Croxton Races, and he says, " Why, in general; 

 Dick, you've got a new name. It will be from that 

 lecture of yours!' One or two of them were on me 

 about it at the cricket match. The Quorn and Cot- 

 tesmore farmers, on a market day, they give me no 

 peace of my life. They've all got my lecture ; and 

 they learn bits out of it, and keep pitching 'em at 

 me ; I can't walk up the street but one or another 

 begins with me. It's just the same at the meet ; and 

 the gentlemen is quite as fond of the game. The 

 ladies make much of me. They've took and on the ladies 

 to that lecture uncommonly. They say ^^ particular. 

 they never just properly know'd before what an 

 owdacious man I'd been. 



I once jumped a whole flock of sheep He jumps a flock 

 near Gadesby, in Mr. Osbaldeston's time. of sheep. 

 I think we'd found at the Coplow. They had 

 scruddled into a corner, just like that near those 

 pens. The hounds were running like mad. I was 

 leading. I sends my horse at the rails, and clears 

 the sheep, every one of 'em. My horse he hits the 

 top of the rail, and goes clean bang on to his head. 

 The shepherd, he shouts, " Now hang you, that just 

 sarves you right!' I says, " So it does, old fellow," 

 and I gathers myself up, and goes on, and we kills 

 the fox at Ragdale. No one would credit it ; it's as 

 true as I've this whip in my hand. Deary me ! how 

 horses has rolled on me times and often — squeezed — 

 bones broke — all that sort of thing ! If I were to tell 

 all the good runs I've seen, it would fill a ledger. I 



B 2 



