The Life of a Great Sportsman 



all things. How right he was in his estimate of the " Cat's " 

 ability in the saddle we all know, but there the Captain's 

 perspicuity ended, as will be made clear later on when the 

 story of Reugny's Grand National comes to be told. 



Captain Machell soon became aware of the fact that my 

 brother was not only something quite out of the common as a 

 cross-country jockey, but that his genuine love for the horse 

 extended to its education and subsequent training, and so he 

 decided that he could not do better than entrust his most 

 valuable steeplechasers to my brother's care. 



When I state that Maunsell would only consent to receive 

 payment for the bare upkeep of the horses under his charge, 

 their jumping education, training, and general care and super- 

 intendence being inclusive, for pure love of the thing, it will be 

 pretty generally conceded, I fancy, that Captain Machell had 

 good reason to congratulate himself on his amateur trainer. 



Notwithstanding these sacrifices on his part, my brother 

 always regarded himself as Captain Machell's debtor, inasmuch 

 as only through the agency of a man of his means could he 

 get into his possession and ride horses of the very first class ; 

 for though possessing a fair fortune of his own it did not run 

 into giving the price for horses which the Captain could afford, 

 expecting, no doubt, to be recouped by methods which my 

 brother could not and would not employ. 



I wish here to record that as a guest in our house nothing 

 could exceed Captain Machell's kindliness and charm in every 

 way, and to every one. This was especially so in his invari- 

 able courtesy to our grandmother, Mrs. Maunsell, who lived 

 with us at Limber, ostensibly as my chaperone (I was then 

 only twenty-three), but in reality loving to be with us, and 

 though upwards of seventy-six years old, taking as much interest 

 in our horses — their exploits — our friends and their doings, as 



80 



