dded he with a
leer, "that you rides the best 'osses of any gemman vot comes to our
governor's." This flattered Jorrocks, and sidling up, he slipped a
shilling into his hand, saying, "Well--bring them out, and let's see how
they look this morning." The stall reins are slipped, and out they step
with their hoods on their quarters. One was a large, fat, full-sized
chestnut, with a white ratch down the full extent of his face, a long
square tail, bushy mane, with untrimmed heels. The other was a brown,
about fifteen two, coarse-headed, with a rat-tail, and collar-marked.
The tackle was the same as they came down with. "You'll do the trick on
that, I reckon," said Jorrocks, throwing his leg over the chestnut, and
looking askew at the Yorkshireman as he mounted. "Tatt., and old Tatt.,
and Tatt. sen. before him, all agree that they never knew a bad 'oss
with a rat-tail."

[Footnote 11: A favourite joke among grooms when a horse is turned round
in his stall.]

"But, let me tell you, you must be werry lively, if you mean to live
with our 'ounds. They go like the wind. But come! touch him with the
spur, and let's do a trot." The Yorkshireman obeyed, and getting into
the main street, onwards they jogged, right through Croydon, and struck
into a line of villas of all sorts, shapes, and sizes, which extend for
several miles along the road, exhibiting all sorts of architecture,
Gothic, Corinthian, Doric, Ionic, Dutch, and Chinese. These gradually
diminished in number, and at length they found themselves on an open
heath, within a few miles of the meet of the "Surrey foxhounds". "Now",
says Mr. Jorrocks, clawing up his smalls, "you will see the werry finest
pack of hounds in all England; I don't care where the next best are; and
you will see as good a turn-out as ever you saw in your life, and as
nice a country to ride over as ever you were in".

They reach the meet--a wayside public-house on a common, before which
the hounds with their attendants and some fifty or sixty horsemen, many
of them in scarlet, were assembled. Jorrocks was received with the
greatest cordiality, amid whoops and holloas, and cries of "now
Twankay!--now Sugar!--now Figs!" Waving his hand in token of
recognition, he passed on and made straight for Tom Hill, with a face
full of importance, and nearly rode over a hound in his hurry. "Now,
Tom," said he, with the greatest energy, "do, my good fellow, strain
every nerve to show sport to-day.--A gentleman has co