These, and several other concurring circumstances, induced some sporting men to decline paying their bets. The disputes on this head, were finally settled at Tattersal’s, when, after a good deal of discussion, it was the opinion of a considerable majority, that the bets ought not to be paid, as it was then well known, that liquid laudanum had been administered to Wood by some of his pretended friends, after he had gone twenty-two miles. The regular frequenters of Newmarket, however, maintained, that the bets ought to be paid, although they were of opinion THE RACE WAS THROWN OVER, or, at any time a man may get off from his wagers.—Capt. Barclay’s bets, which were considerable, were paid.
This match, on the part of Wood and his friends, was entirely hopeless; for no man in the world could, with the least prospect of success, allow Capt. Barclay twenty miles on a walk to be decided in twenty-four hours. He had previously walked, without the advantage of training, SEVENTY-EIGHT MILES IN FOURTEEN HOURS, and what is still more astonishing, had performed SIXTY-FOUR MILES IN TEN HOURS. If no accident, therefore, had occurred, it is highly probable, he would have accomplished one hundred and thirty-five miles, which would have obliged his opponent to have gone one hundred and fifty-five miles, a distance altogether beyond Wood’s power, and such as never has been performed in that time by any pedestrian, either ancient or modern.
As an additional instance of Capt. Barclay’s great strength and perseverance, it may be mentioned, that, merely for his amusement, he performed a most laborious undertaking in August this year, (1808). Having gone to Colonel Murray Farquharson’s house of Allanmore, in Aberdeenshire, he went out at five in the morning to enjoy the sport of grouse-shooting on the mountains, where he travelled at least thirty miles. He returned to dinner to the colonel’s house, by five in the afternoon, and in the evening set off for Ury, a distance of sixty miles, which he walked in eleven hours, without stopping once to refresh. He attended to his ordinary business at home, and in the afternoon walked to Laurence-kirk,—sixteen miles,—where he danced at a ball during the night, and returned to Ury by seven in the morning. He did not yet retire to bed, but occupied the day by partridge-shooting in the fields. He had thus travelled not less than one hundred and thirty miles, supposing him to have gone only eight miles in the course of the day’s shooting at home, and also danced at Laurence-kirk, without sleeping, or having been in bed for two nights and nearly three days.
In December following, he was matched against a runner of the Duke of Gordon, to go from Gordon Castle to Huntly Lodge, a distance of nineteen miles, which Capt. Barclay performed in two hours and eight minutes, without any previous preparation, and immediately after breakfast, beating the duke’s man five miles. He ran the first nine miles in fifty minutes, although the road was very hilly, and extremely bad.
In October this year, (1808,) Capt. Barclay made a match with Mr. Wedderburn Webster, a gentleman of celebrity in the sporting world, which attracted the notice of the whole kingdom, and raised the highest expectations among the amateurs of pedestrian exploits.
He engaged to go on foot, ONE THOUSAND MILES IN ONE THOUSAND SUCCESSIVE HOURS, at the rate of a mile in each and every hour, for a wager of one thousand guineas, to be performed at Newmarket-heath, and to start on the following 1st of June, (1809).
Previously to encountering this arduous match, Capt. Barclay went to Brighton, where he remained for a short time for the sake of sea-bathing and fresh air. He did not then deem it necessary to go under regular training, as he believed the undertaking would be easily accomplished.
He arrived at Newmarket on the 30th of May; but he had before that time provided lodgings for his accommodation, and the ground on which he was to perform had been marked out. It was on a public road leading from the house of Mr. Buckle, where he lodged, and by no means adapted to his purpose. His resting apartment was on the ground-floor fronting the south, and only separated from the kitchen by a small room, where the attendants sat. Thus accommodated, he undertook the match under various disadvantages.
On the sixteenth day, however, he removed to new lodgings near the Horse and Jockey, where he continued during the remainder of the time. He also shifted his ground, and walked across the Norwich road up the heath for half a mile out and return.
The difficulty of accomplishing this astonishing match may be conceived, when it is known that the most celebrated pedestrians of England have attempted it, and failed. The constant exertion, with the short time allowed for sleep, must soon exhaust the strongest frame; and no other man has been able to continue longer than about thirty days.