140 MEMORIES OF THE SHIRES 



in sight. Yonder he comes over the brow of the 

 hill ! Nearer and nearer come the flying team, 

 scattering with their heels the dirt, which forms a 

 halo round the carriage. There is a cry of ' Clear the 

 course ! * a rush to take up positions, and the next 

 second the pair of mares flash by. The mud- 

 bespattered nobleman urges them on until the post 

 is passed, then, with a whoa and a pull at the reins, 

 he has arrested the full tide of their career suffici- 

 ently to drop to the ground, and climb the char-a- 

 banc. 



" The four horses are well into their collars, and the 

 wheels are spinning round. His Lordship has 

 scrambled to the box, and now, approaching the flags, 

 he seizes the ribbons, and shaking himself into his 

 seat is at it again. Enthusiasm and excitement 

 rise to the highest pitch as we watch each horse lay- 

 ing himself out to his work, all level as a die, and 

 every trace taut. It is a heavy vehicle, but these 

 horses make nothing of it, and the whole thing is 

 soon beyond our ken. We have another twenty 

 minutes to wait, but we see now that, bar acci- 

 dents, extraordinary good time will be made, and 

 we anxiously watch for the return. Men who had 

 taken up positions along the road are now muster- 

 ing in great force at |the winning-post. A current 

 of feverish expectancy shows itself in a low 

 murmur — it is nothing to do with betting, for 

 hardly anyone here has a farthing on ; but it is the 

 genuine interest which the British public always feel 

 in witnessing an extraordinary feat by a thoroughly 

 honest sportsman. 



" Now the horses' heads are in sight — they are 

 racing down the hill. The postiHon Earl is sitting 



