little ragged, dirty-nosed boys, run athwart, and
upsots a respectable individual."

I did hammer him, wasn't "upsot," and bought Clodhopper.

There were two accomplishments in which I think he was
unrivalled--falling down without breaking his knees, and in running
backwards. In performing the first feat, which, on an average,
occurred twice in three weeks, he fell, without a moment's hesitation,
directly on his head, and instantly took a somersault on his back; so
that literally he never had time to break his knees, though he broke
the saddle now and then. The second, he could perform at a frightful
pace; and the more one whipped and spurred, the faster he would go,
and never stop till he came in contact with something. One of these I
suspect to have been the "some'ut"--unless, by-the-bye, it had been
the whooping-cough, or something very like it.

But Clodhopper's chief recommendation was, that whether in winter or
in summer, with oats or without them, he was ever the same--stoical
and indefatigable, so long as he was on the top of his legs. When
eventually I had no further use for his services, I sold him for a
leader to a coach proprietor, for seventeen pounds and a dozen of bad
champagne; but I fear that the unfortunate wheeler in his rear must,
by this time, have tumbled over him a lamentable number of times.

There was another rather prominent character in my establishment. This
was "Old Bob."

The master whom he served was a neighbouring farmer, but I frequently
obtained his services. His appearance was that of a veteran bull-dog,
seamed with the traces of youthful strife, but in reality he was a
pointer. Unfortunately, too, in his younger days, the stable-door had
jambed his tail off within two inches of its origin, but still Bob
flattered himself that it was a tail, for he affected to brush the
flies away with it.

I think he had a high opinion of my shooting, for, whenever I was so
inclined, he despised the society of any one else. As he was a selfish
fellow, I suspect that I was indebted for his services to interested
motives. He was a pot-hunter, like myself, and would instantly swallow
anything I shot, could he but reach it first. He could certainly trot
very fast, but that was the best pace he could accomplish, and had we
anything like a fair start, I could distance him; and so convinced
did he become of this, that the moment he found me abreast of him, he
would give up the race in despair.

Cons