14 Silk and Scarlet. 



There was such a laugh ; he was such a desperate 

 chap that way. " God bless me, Mr. Heycock, you 

 make my hair stand on end!' Them was Sir James's 

 very words ; and he was a precious hard un too was 

 Sir James. Sir Charles Knightley teached his noted 

 black horse Benvolio that way ; he sends him like a 

 gun through two gates, and he jumps the third clean 

 The Steeple- enough. Heycock rode Clinker in that 

 chase from Nose- great steeple-chase from Noseley Wood 

 ley Wood. ^^ Billesdon Coplow, nearly four miles. 



He'd have won if the bridle hadn't come off. He 

 would have the double bridle changed for a snaffle. 

 They hadn't taken up holes enough ; and when it 

 come off at a fence, the horse wouldn't let him put it 

 on again. One horse came from Essex ; a cobby- 

 looking thing ; they told him at starting he wouldn't 

 tell, at the end of three fields, where they'd gone, and 

 it came out true. King of the Valley gave me a deal 

 of trouble that day ; he was such a great big horse 

 I couldn't get him up at his fences. We had all an 

 hour given us to see the ground after we'd weighed 

 in Mr. Greene's laundry. Bill Wright wouldn't stir, 

 but sat on with his pipe and porter, and rode as well 

 as any of us. 



Hoiweii Mouth That's Holwell Mouth — we'll be there 

 and The Vale, directly ; ain't it almost like a punch- 

 bowl ? The Quorn can't come no further than here ; 

 they're a bit jealous of each other, and they're never 

 done drawing it. It's really in the Duke's Hunt, but 

 I've seen the Quorn draw it for years and years. The 

 gentlemen get all along at that side, and some at the 

 other corner. There's such a spring of water down 

 there, if you can find it. There's been an old rusty 

 bowl chained to it this many a year — didn't I tell you 

 it was first-rate .? Clawson Thorns is a great cover — 

 what a cover it is ! That Marigold leap of mine's 

 close here ; people came to see it from Nottingham, 

 when it got into the paper. Dash me ! only to think 



