144 MR. PARKER 



'It's not worth discussing,' replied Parker, and im- 

 mediately threw the fellow on his back, and lugged him 

 up the lawn in front of the stand, walking backwards, 

 just as a dog would draw a badger, into the weighing- 

 room (which in those days was in the Grand Stand), his 

 quarry howling pitifully all the way. The weighing-room 

 gained, the man was allowed to regain an erect position. 



' Now,' said Parker, ' pay, or I will throw you down 

 again and take it from you.' 



But, untaught by experience, the fellow, instead of 

 complying with the request, began to argue the point, 

 and, before he knew where he was, found himself again 

 on his back, and a large roll of notes taken from his 

 pocket. Mr. Parker counted out 15 from these, and, 

 after handing the sum to Mr. Upton, returned the roll to 

 the welsher, with a solemn warning that if he ever dared 

 to do anything of the like again, he, Mr. Parker, would 

 kick him all round the ring, and then out of it, adding 

 that he felt much inclined to do it there and then. 



Of such fellows as these, Mr. Parker could beat ' a 

 lane full,' and they knew it, without troubling him to 

 put them through the fiery ordeal. In fact, his extensive 

 knowledge of pedestrianism, and of the feats of en- 

 durance which pugilists have to submit to, gave him an 

 insight of training, and what horses should do, and 

 what they should be like when fit to run, that very few 

 other men possessed. Therefore, however specious the 

 reasoning, nothing would make him believe in a half- 

 trained horse, or cause him to think that a trained one 

 was overdone. In this opinion he was confirmed by his 

 own experience in the training of dogs. Of the many 

 amusing and instructive stories I have heard him tell of 

 his experiences in this way, I will relate one. 



In his youthful days Mr, Parker matched his dog 



