LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 30, 4 July 1874, Page 4

LITERATURE.

ME AND MY DOGS. [From " Once a Week."] f Concluded.'] No doubt the vicar looked askance at Spot when he was said to have been the cause of Mrs Fink's or Miss Stacey's seat being vacant in the old church; but the old gentleman was rather far-seeing, and laboring away at his quiet, practical old sermons, he knew well enough that the stray sheep would return to his fold after a few months' absence; for no parishioner who left the church could ever stand the local preachers at the chapel for more than six months without returning to the mother building for tonic doses from the vicar to restore his shattered religious nerves. The men, no doubt, meant well, and considered tnat they had had calls to the work ; but for all that it was rather painful to sit and hear Mortiss, the carpenter, hammering and stammering, and introducing his favorite elocutionary form of questioning, 4 ls it becoss—is it becoss ? ' or Black, the tinman, who took a text, and then hammered awhile before putting it in a sort of mill, and then—blind old horse that he was going round and round in the same old circle, till half his audience had sought refuge in sleep. Then there was Bracebit, the tailor, a very strong man in "the chmrch," a pale, serious man, who adopted semiclerical vests of his own make, and always wore white cravats of the stiffest and broadest—the man who, before dazzling his hearers with the glories of Heaven, led them to it by degrees, and introduced them to the palace "where Queen Victoria was seated upon her throne, her crown upon her head, and surrounded by her brilliant courtiers with their enchantments," whatever those enchantments might be. It was very irreverent to think so, no doubt; but after the enchanting description of her Majesty, some of his hearers would have been rather disappointed if they had gazed upon the plainly dressed widow lady who sits at the head of this vaßt empire. They might have been disposed to exclaim, like the oid countryman in the song upon being introduced to a sight of George III.: " Is that the King.that I sees there ? I seed a chap at Bartlemy Fair More like a King than that chap there." But Bracebit meant well, though he always divided his sermon into six parts, and then contiived to get those six parts and their threads hopelessly entangled before a quarter of the hour he always allowed himself had elapsed. His discourses were always a hopeless maze to himself and to those who listened, though he never lacked fluency, but kept on without a pause, leading you here and there, and showering down quotations upon your head. He would take you into his maze at Genesis, and then, after a weary wander, bring you out somewhere amongst the Epistles ; for, in spite of his efforts, he never reached Kevelations. He often took it as a starting point, being rather fond of the imager/ the book contains ; but upon these occasions he travelled backwards, if he did not always. 'We can preach without a book, eh, Mr Black /' he would say to the tinman ; and then they would both laugh pleasantly at the waht of ability in the grey-headed old university man, who always took his clearly written, carefully worded sermons into the pulpit with him, and preached calmly, earnestly, and practically for about five and twenty minutes; while Spot lay patiently winking in the porch, with his head resting upon one of old Joe Barley's big boots, till the last word was uttered, when he would jump up and trot round to the vestry door, and wait for his master's advent. The old vicar saw matters in their real light; and though he objected to Spot's cat hunts, yet he knew well enough that no quiet, thoughtful person would leave the old worship for so trivial a cai,se, and judged correctly enough that matters weald right themselves. He never told the recanting Ones of their failings, but had many a quiet Chuckle to himself upon the weakness of human nature in general. There were some houses where Spot was welcome for his master's sake, and some where he was Dot ; and by means of his delicate, sensitive organisation the dog could tell where he should enter and where refrain ; consequently, there were a nnmber of nooks and corners where, some time or another in the afternoon, you would find Spot—generally pleasant, dry, sunny niches, where he could bask in the sun while waiting for his master, ready to trot on to the next calling-place. And when Spot was on duty after this fashion, he was a fixture pro tern. No wanton dog could tempt him away, no friendly whistle, no travelling cat. Why, he would not even stir for a bone ; and, if you wished bim to partake of your bounty, you must place it within reach. Spot seemed to consider that his master was under his charge, and a s strong, religious sense of duty undoubtedly pervaded the dog's being ; while it was rare indeed that you encountered the venerable old gentleman without the dapple-coated dog being close to his heels. Visiting, gardening, it was all the same ; while the task of carrying a glove seemed to make the dog supremely happy. Why, there was a etained place in the middle of the vicar's old silk umbrella, caused by Spot carrying it crosswise in his mouth, like a huge bit, and getting his head wrenched first on one and then upon the other side, as he encountered legs and posts in his travels. He was especially clever with a cross-handled basket, and was often the bearer of fruit or some other token of the old gentleman's kindness to his parishioners—carrying it carefully to its destination —sure now of a welcome when the vicar raised the latch to admit him to the cottage they sought. ' I taught un to pull ta little bell, the ting tang, sir,' Joe Barley said. 'Ta vicar always used to get to ta church at ten minits to 'leven, and then ta dog would come to me. and I let him hold o' ta end of ta rope. He He never did no good, sir, only tugged, I rung; but pleased un, and he'd pull away like owt. He were a good dog, sir ; and we kep' him ta six months he lived after vicar died, and I never told nobody, sir. But when owd Spot giv' up —bein' always ailin' like arter his maester died, and the missus never able to do him no good wi' her brewins —when he giv' up and died, I says to myself, I says, ' You were nobbut a beast, Spot, 'and 'taint right 'praps, but I'm part maester here, and no one need know nowt aboot it.' So I shoulthers my owd mattock and shovel, and I makes him a little grave close aside the owd vicar's vault ; and that's where owd Spot lies, raight or wrong—bein' ta fir*t dog I ever know'd buried in ta Churchyard.'

THE LATE CAPTAIN BARCLAY-ALLAR-DICE AND ONE THOUSAND MILES IN ONE THOUSAND HOURS. We quote from " Bell's Life " the following excellent notice of the life and performances of the late Captain Barclay-Allardice, a gentleman who, taking him ' all round,' was the best amateur athlete that ever ran or walked. There were, as Professor Wilson, himself a distinguished athlete, says in his ' Essays : Critical and Imaginative,' ' fleeter men than Captain Barclay/but he never had his equal for united strength, actity, and bottom, as a pedestrian.' The following account of the gallant Captain's life will be read with interest. We may add to the following the remark that wc believe Captain Barclay started, and for several years drove, a mail coach between Aberdeen and Perth ; _ also, that upon one occasion he matched himself for a bet of 1000 guineas to drive the mail coach from London to Edinburgh without getting off the box. When he reached Belford, in Northumberland, he became so sleepy that his friends had to prick him with pins to keap him awake, and this process was renewed at intervals. Captain Barclay, however, held on with rare determination, and won his bet. On reaching Edinburgh he Ml asleep, and was lifted off the coach in that condition. Pakt I. As far as we are aware no sketch of the above officer's life and performances has appeared in print for the past sixty years; and, although it is out of our power to classify the present article under • Reprints' from 1 Bell's Life in London' (since the first issue of this journal does not appear till some thirteen years after the Captain's unequalled feat"), we cannot but think it will be interesting to the present generation of athletes, judging from the numerous inquiries constantly received respecting the thousand miles walk. In fact, the assertion that no one but Captain Allardice ever bona fide performed the feat has now become almost as stereotyped in our 'Answers to Correspondents ' column as the deeds of Davidson, Lang, Richards, Howard, Seward, and Buttery. The mansion house at Ury, where the hero of our tale was born, is situated a couple of miles N.W. of Stonehaven, in Kincardineshire, the family estate extending on both banks of the river Cowie, with the house on the left one. Captain Robert BarclayAllardice was the eldest son of Robert Barclay and Miss Allardice He was born on 25th August, 1779, six years prior to E. H. Budd ; and eight years prior to the late George Osbaldiston ; two of the most renowned sporting celebrities, who were contemporary and intimate with him, and witnessed most of his sporting feats. Osbaldiston, dying in 1866, survived Allardice 12 years, while Mr Budd is alive and well at the present day. He remained at home till eight years of age, when he was sent southwards to Loughborough House School at Richmond, Surrey, where he remained for four years, from 1787 to 1791. He was then removed to a metropolitan school at Brixton Causeway, but we have been unable to ascertain the name or exact whereabouts of the academy, and he stopped there for three years till 1794. After that we lost sight of him for a couple of years till August 1796, when his first pedestrian match took place. Like Charles Westhall's maiden essay, on 24th October, 1842, it was a walking match ; and, as iu this instance, the then fastest time on record was accomplished. A gentleman laid Captain Allardice 100 guineas level against his walking six miles in the hour, fair heel and ioe. The match came off on the Croydon Road, and ho won without difficulty, but the exact time has never been recorded. For a lad of seventeen years of age this was then considered a wonderful performance, and gave good promise of future greatness. On the Bth of April, 1797, his father died, and the family estates remained under the care of guardians till he came of age. Two years after his first match his second came off, in August, 1778, against Ferguson, the celebrated City walking clerk. It was a seventy miles run, from Fenchurch street to ten miles beyond Windsor and back, but the amount of the stakes is not mentioned. The Captain performed the distance on a very hot day in 14 hours, the clerk beiug simply " nowhere." Shortly after this, viz., on the Bth November, 1798, he went into residence as a fellow commoner of Trinity College, Cambridge. Mr T. Jones was his tutor, and he resided there during the remainder of that Michaelmas Term, during Lent and Easter Terms, 1799, and up to 10th November in Michaelmas Term, 1799. It will thus be seen that he resided just a year at Cambridge, when his name was taken " off the boards " by his tutor, and he did not return to graduate. During this period he appears to have made no matches, and merely indulged in an occasional 60 or 70 miles " constitutional " to and from London, Oxford, Birmingham, &c. In the fall of the first year of the present century Captain Allardice made the first of a quartet of celebrated bets with Mr Fletcher, of Ballingshoe, a gentleman well known on the Turf as the owner of Allegrante, &C, and, as will be seen, got bit pretty heavily over the first three events. The opening of the ball was Captain Allardice's betting Mr Fletcher a level 25000 gs that he did not make the best of his way 60 miles in 14 hours. Although the affair was kept very quiet, and there was but littlaaime for training, Mr Fletcher put himself under the care of Ward the pugilist, and just managed to win at Doncaster, in the autumn of the year 1800. So knocked up was he with the last 20 miles that he expressed himself certain that no one could achieve another 30 miles further at comparatively the same rate. The Captain, however, nothing daunted, and hoping to get some of his money back, at once made a match with Mr Fletcher, for 500 gs a-side, to go 90 miles in 21£ hours. The affair was fixed for December, 1800, and the Captain ran a good trial of 64 miles in 12 hours, but caught such a severe cold after 'a sweat, and became so ill, that he was obliged to pay forreit. Getting strong and well again in the ensuing spring, and hoping for better weather, the Captain's unceasing perseverance nerved .him to have another shy at Mr Fletcher, so "90 in 21A " was again the order of the day, this time for no less than 2000 gs a side. A mile was chosen and measured on the high road from Brechin to Forfar, in the county of Angus. To be continued.