SITTYTON TO ABERDEEN. 147 



Islington, we had no doubt on that head. It was on 

 every one's lip how undauntedly Tom Swan had 

 stuck up for Mr. Adams' two-year-old, and how Mr. 

 Moir had the cup dashed from his lips just when he 

 thought his red three-year-old was safe of it, and 

 that it would go to Tarty for ever and aye. This was 

 the fifth year of the Cup, which Mr. Stewart won on 

 the first two occasions, and lost, like Mr. Moir, at 

 the third time of asking. 



The leading Aberdeen butchers dearly love to 

 have some choice beast going on for Christmas ; and 

 Esselmont, which lies near the railway, a few miles 

 beyond Newmachar, is Mr. Stewart's " training sta- 

 bles." In '63 the roan ox was in residence, and 

 strolling magnificently up and down his yard, clad 

 in a sheet, to keep the pile on for Darlington. He 

 was then in all his four-year-old bloom, and those 

 who only saw him on his last Christmas tour, sixteen 

 months after that, never really knew how good he 

 was. His breeder, Mr. Moir of Tarty, won the 

 Aberdeen Fat Cup with him as a two-year-old, and 

 sold him to Mr. Martin, who sold him to Mr. Stewart 

 for the Darlington Cup contest. After winning it, 

 he was sold and raffled ; and the winner of the rafBe 

 sold him to Mr. Martin, who trained him for another 

 year, won two head prizes with him at Birmingham 

 and London, and sold him to a butcher for 65. On 

 the sire's side he is in direct descent from Cruick- 

 shank's Baron ; and for his prize-winning pre- 

 decessors in the South we had to fall back 



L 2 



