JS'ewmarJcet. 79 



panied by a little curly-haired boy of about nine years old 

 on a priceless little horse of about thirteen to fourteen 

 hands high. The little fellow's breeches were about the size 

 of a pair of wicket-keeping gloves, and his leggings no 

 bigger than a lady's six-button gauntlet. He was sitting 

 carelessly on his horse, with his reins and small hunting- 

 whip in his right hand, and leaning on the pummel with 

 his left hand, and remarking to his delighted grandfather, 

 "But, Grandpapa, Uncle G-eorge said at breakfast the 

 Monarch could give Sailor Boy (to coin two names) seven 

 pounds and a beating any day." Yerily, verily, these boys 

 are born and bred in racins^. 



Don't let anyone listen to the nonsense which people say, 

 that it is useless going to Newmarket unless you are 

 mounted. Trainers, and racing men who bet heavily, and 

 who wish to attend the ring and see all the race, must of 

 course be mounted, but those who are content to see the 

 finish, or see the race some way from the post, have no 

 difficulty whatever. Half the fun is watching the troops 

 of horsemen, and the trainers' ponies, some of ti:em wonder- 

 ful specimens, savouring strongly of Welsh ponies, Xew 

 Foresters, and Exmoors. There was one rough iron-grey, 

 wall-eyed, little dray-horse of a pony, apparently able to 

 carry a billiard table on his back, whose legs were almost as 

 thick as mine, who was so intelligent that 1 am sure he had 

 a soul, and possibly a heavy book with some other pony on 

 the race. Talk about excitement dying out with advanced 

 middle age — why I saw" a w^ell-known trainer, who must be 

 very long in the tooth, galloping on one of these ponies, and 

 shrieking at the top of his voice, '• A hundred pounds the 

 young 'un wins," He was as mad as a Harrow or an Eton 

 boy at Lord's, pending a crisis in the match. Even one of 

 the mounted police was on an old racer thirteen years old, 

 who, according to the rider's account, had run thii"d or 



