A WALK WITH CAPT. BARCLAY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1091, 12 October 1869, Page 4

A WALK WITH CAPT. BARCLAY.

(J?rom "London Society" for June.) Oub scene' opens on Newmarket Heath in the year 1809, and our hero is the late redoubtable Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, ot Ury, who, says his biographer, "could boast a noble and ancient origin, tracing it from the reign of Alexander 1., son of Malcolm IH., King of Scotland, and the 10th of Henry L, son of William the Conqueror." He was then in the prime of life, full of strength, vigour, and perse.verance. No enterprise seemed top dangerous, no task required more endurance than he possessed. He was, in fact, endowed with a powerful mind in addition to the physical strength for which his family had always been conspicuous. Agriculture formed his favorite serious pursuit, and to manly Bports he looked for recreation. Several of his athletic feats have already been briefly alluded to in the pages of London Society, and with these our readers must have been content, but that the merest chance placed us in possession of a musty, much- worn, yet, withal, carefully- . treasured record, containing the fullest particulars relative to his performances. The most noticeable match he entered upOn, . and .that, to which the greatest amount of interest attaches, the more since it has never been equalled, was his walk of one thousand miles in one thousand consecutive hours. . At first sight we do not realise the gigantic nature of the undertaking, but a closer consideration of the words leads us to discover that before the feat can be accomplished, the pedestrian must travel one mile ah hour for forty-one days sixteen hours. He must turn out and walk a mile every \louv whatever be his condition, ill or well, inclined or not • whether it hails, rains, snows* freezes, or blows; blinded by the liglrftiing-_--_laat-rxjrr-a.wed~b/ the thunde-V peal. All' these things he must brave. No cessation, no rest, save such as can be snatched in the brief interval between finishing one mile and starting on the next. A man of less varied experience than Captain Barclay might think somewhat, lightly ofthe dangers of such an enterprise as that which forms our subject ; but any one; who can be brought to look fairly at it,' and consider thoroughly the work before him, will say, and with reason too, that it seems almost beyond the powers of human endurance. Perhaps it was the knowledge of the perils of the expedition, and of the difficulties to be encountered, that led Captain Barclay to make the match. Be this as it may, negotiations were entered upon in October, 1808, Mr. Wedderburn Webster, a gentleman well known in sporting circles, being the backer of time for a stake of 1000 guineas. Barclay immediately took up his quarters at Owston, in Yorkshire, under old Smith, a thorough sportsman, and began training for the work. Early in the following year he visited Brighton and underwent a course of bathing, and finally reached Newmarket on 30th May, 1809, in the perfection of condition, his weight being 13st. 4lb. Lodgings had been taken for him in the house of Buckle, the famous jockey, and a path of half a mile out and home was marked out on the public road leading to it. Just after twelve o'clock at night on the, Ist. of June, with the odds at 2to 1 on hiuj, the captain commenced his task,' doing the, first mile in twelve minutes, and the second in fourteen minutes and a half. After this he stripped off his clothes and went to bed, but did not sleep, and perspired profusely,, the weather being very hot. The longest time occupied in covering a mile during the first day was sixteen - -wluul^ +*(„» n.ww»g<» on..tU.Jft- fiftoon minutes fifteen seconds per mile, and the total time occupied in walking twenty-five miles was five hours fifty-six minutes. His dress throughout the match varied with the weather. Sometimes he wore a flannel jacket, sometimes a loose dark grey coat, and walked in strong shoes and two pairs of coarse stockings, without feet, to keep his legs dry. He paced along at a sort of lounging gait without any apparent extraordinary exertion, scarcely raising his feet two inches above the ground. He breakfasted after returning from his walk at five a.m., when he ate a roast fowl and drank a pint of strong ale, then two cups of tea with bread and butter. His luncheon hour was noon, when, on alternate days, he parr took of mutton-chops and beef-steaks, and drank porter and two or three glasses of port wine. At six p.m. he dined on roast beef or mutton, and a small quantity bf such vegetables as were to be had. Supper-time arrived" witb eleven o'clock, a cold fowl being his usual food. His four meals were always eaten with good relish, and: it is computed that he consumed from slbs. to 6lbs. of animal food per twenty-four hours. During the earlier days he often did not go tp bes between the miles, but strolled about the streets. of Newmarket .or reclined on a sofa in his resting apartment on the ground floor of the houaa. Qn the fourth day he was; greatly r incommoded by the dußt, and on the' tenth seemed fatigued, owing to thehigh wind' and rain. He was, however, still in good health and spirits, and started ! : as soon as called. On the twelfth day he

rested often and slept well, but complained of pains in his neck and shoulders, caused by riot wearing clothes enough during the night, and by sitting, when in a state of perspiration, with his back towards an open window. Up to this day his walking had been very regular, his longest mile having occupied but seventeen and a half minutes, and the greatest time taken in covering the daily twenty-four miles being six hours and twenty-four and a half minutes. Early. on the thirteenth day he was attacked by a soreness in the back tendons ofhis legs. Next morning it increased, ahd then went off, but reappeared the following day, ahd seized him almost every time he started. No remedy appears tp have been applied, though one of the miles occupied twenty minutes. At noon, oh the sixteenth, he removed to new lodgings near the "Horse and Jockey," and shifted his ground, walking across the Norwich road up the Heath and back' The change proved advantageous, as he felt more comfortable, and his food was not cooked in the house. After this time the pain in his legs and thighs impeded him at starting, but wore off after going three hundred or four hundred yards. Curiously enough, it was always worst about three a.m., and gradually decreased as the day advanced. - On the nineteenth morning he had some difficulty in walking, and lay down frequently and slept. Still his appetite continued unimpaired, though his spirits were occasionally depressed. Next day his legs were bathed . in vin_g^r 7 and^ pn" the following morning, complaining of soreness in the tread of his right foot, vinegar was applied to that also. Rain had fallen nearly every day up to the twentieth, but from that time to the twenty-seventh the heat continued very great, and no moisture softened the path, which remained hard, notwithstanding that a water cart went over the ground once a day. .On the twenty-second, Dr. Sandiver was called in, and recommended a warm bath, besides sending a liquid to be rubbed on the painful parts. Next day Captain Barclay was unfortunately attacked by toothache, and became feverish arid fretful, complaining often of his legs and feet. He felt much distressed through want of sleep, but on the twenty-feurth the toothache ceased, and after an hour's rest he awoke much refreshed. Finding, however, that the warm bath made his feet tender, he ordered a flannel to be soaked in boiling water and wrung dry, then applied, but without permanent relief. On the twentysixth he was sometimes dressed and out before fully awake, and experienced difficulty in moving at starting. The flannel applications, however, began to eftect some good, also the oil and camphor, which was rubbed on the painful parts. These remedies were therefore used night and day, and on the twenty-seventh the pain moved towards the ankles, causing him to suffer much and walk heavily. He was also very weak, and as the rain now began to fall in large quantities again, it became necessary that he should wear his great coat, which fatigued him so much, that at four a.m., the mile occupied thirty-six and*a half minutes, his average per mile on the day having now increased to nineteen minutes and thirtysix and a quarter seconds, while the total time occupied ( by the twenty-four miles was seven hours and fifty and a half minutes. About this period it was reported that Captain" Barclay's legs were swollen. The statement is denied on authority ; they never swelled during the performance of the feat. On the twenty-ninth the pain in his calves iVmnsed,. but he improved so surprisingly, daring the day that no one who' saw him had any idea of his debilitated st'atfe at night, whilst those who then accompanied him were equally deceived as to his appearance in the daytime. He was often so stiff in a morning that he could scarcely rise up, and when up could hardly stand. On the thirty-second, whenever he rested, the back tendons of his legs shrunk, and the pain was so excessive when they relaxed that he could not get up without help. His courage, however, was unconquerable. Next morning it was some time after, rising before he got the use of his limbs, and he appeared completely exhausted. The rain, too, was much against him, as his overcoat became soaked every time he went out. He now began to " shuffle" in his walk, and after resting on the thirty-fourth day, was compelled to cry out when moved. He however continued determined to complete the task at all risks, and notwithstanding that he. grew weaker every hour, displayed remarkable resolution. One of the chief difficulties now was to manage his time, especially in the wet weather. He did not seem, on the thirty-eighth day, to relish his food as usual, and had become so much exhausted, that when lifted up he could not stand without assistance. It became quite apparent that he could not have held out much longer, but the end was drawing near, and he gained fresh courage as the days grew fewer. The spectators were j?o numerous on the thirty-ninth day (Sunday), that it was suggested to rope the ground in. Captain Barclay objected to this, saying he did not like such parade, but the crowd grew immense on Monday, and on the" 'following morning the track was enclosed, So great was the confidence expressed at TattersalFs and other sporting resorts, that almost any odds were offered on his completing the match. On Tuesday night not a bed could be procured in Newmarket or Cambridge or any of the towns and villages in the vicinity, and every horse and vehicle were engaged. On the last day (Wednesday, July 12th) several noblemen and gentlemen were present, including the Dukes of Argyle and St. Albans ; Earls Oroavenor, Desborough, and Jersey ; Lords Foley and Somerville ; Sir John Lade and Sir F. Standish. At length the finishing mile was entered upon at a quarter past three p.m., and completed, amidst the ringing cheers of his supporters, at thirty-seven minutes past three, fifteen miles only having to be walked on the last day. He was then placed in a hot bath for afew minutes, well dried with flannels, and put to bed at four o'clock. He slept well until midnight, when he was awaked and had some water-gruel administered to him. Directly after he sank to sleep again, and arose at nine next morning, without pain and in ' perfect health, so completely recovered, in fact, that four day- afterwards he joined the Walcheren Expedition, and acted as aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Huntly, During the performance of his herculean feat, Captain Barclay lost 2 st. 4 ifc. in weight, but never felt, fmy ill effects afterwards, ■It is, supposed that in bets atone upwards of £100,000 was speculated, and that Barclay had £16,000 depending on the issue. He of course ar- {

ranged his time weti throughout, and often; gained as much as between eighty ancl' ninety minutes' .sleep at.a time. As a rfl|p-. for the first twenty days, he started at halfpast one hour, and finished about a quarter to the next, starting again at forty minutes past. Later on, however, he started at forty minutes past one hour and at one minute past the next, sometimes only resting two minutes, but, of course, getting nearly eighty minutes prior to the succeeding mile. Altogether twelve days, (of twenty-four hours per diem) and eight hours were occupied in walking alone, so that the one thousand miles were covered at the rate of 81 miles and 142 yards per twenty-four hours. The average time for the uiiles during each week was—

The longest mile occupied 36^ minutes, the shortest 12 minutes ; the longest 24' miles 8 hours 39^ minutes, and the shortest 3 hours 40 minutes. Several others persons afterwards attempted the 'Barclay feat,' hut all failed. Mr. Howe started at Cliffe Common, Somerset, and gave up after fifteen days, his health being much impaired. Mr. Blacke walked on for twenty-three days, when, having lost 3 st. 6 lbs., he also stopped^ In May, 1812, Mr. Martingale made an attempt, but after thirty days was obliged to succumb, nature refusing to carry him further. Of the numerous reported successes on running grounds of late years we take no heed. The pedestrians were never very carefully looked after, and, no doubt, though they paced the track diligently in open day, they took their proper rest at night or during intervals when there were no lookers on. Iv this opinion we are upheld by the best sporting authorities, including the editors of " Bell's Life in London,'.' and of " Wilkes' New York Spirit of the Times," both of whom give it as their firm opinion that Captain Barclay, and no one else, either before or since, can claim to. have accomplished this, the greatest pedestrian feat, so far as stamina, courage, and human endurance are concerned, on record. About his performance there can be no doubt whatever. The large sums of money speculated, both by the supporters ot the walker and of time, rendered it certain that he would be shown, no favour. On both sides were witnesses, armed with | accurate watches. At certain hours they i were relieved, and others paced the track alongside the Captain, who, at the end of each half-mile, was compelled to cross a certain mark, so that he did not receive the benefit of a single yard. A lengthy journal was kept throughout, and froni it we have giveri the chief features of the ihatch, which created a more profound sensation in the sporting world than any similar incident that ever occurred. HB«

mm. sec. First 14 54 Second ... 16 0 Third *».. 16 41 Fourth 18 36 Fifth 19 41 Sixth 21 4