EARLY TRIALS. 151 



' A thousand to seventy twice to you, sir/ replies Mr. Bes- 

 semer, promptly, evidently no more hundreds to five to be had. 

 The man of the Downs a passe par la ; so I answer : 



' A hundred to seven, once, if you please.' 



' Thank you, sir,' replies the great man, touching his hat as 

 deferentially as if I were his most constant and opulent, instead 

 of his most casual and impecunious, customer. 



This most important transaction being duly registered, I 

 once more return to my post of observation, and notice that 

 the white flag has just been hoisted. Mr. McGeorge does not 

 keep us long in suspense. One trifling breakaway, the two or 

 three offenders get back as fast as they can, and turning their 

 horses' heads as they come into line again, down goes the flag 

 to a first-rate start. 



There is a pace, and no mistake, from the beginning ; and 

 I can see that the favourite with the blue jacket has got well off 

 ridden by one of the best and sharpest jockeys of the day, he 

 was not likely to be left behind ; and I see also that my 

 Duckling, though bestridden by a ' chalk ' neophyte (a stable- 

 lad, I fancy), is either by luck, or good guidance, right amongst 

 the leaders. For a second or two my view is intercepted 

 by the heads of those around me ; and when I next get a full 

 sight of the horses, they are descending into the Abingdon 

 Mile Bottom. Steady and still sits the rider of the favourite, a 

 length in front of everything, and a murmur arises from the 

 ranks of the backers : ' St. Just wins anyhow ! ' Of the rest the 

 cherry jacket and white cap on my Duckling show as promi- 

 nently as anything, when 'Ah, just what I expected ; those 

 stable-lads can't sit still ! ' and the boy gets up his whip and 

 begins to treat the public to his finish. Well, my banker will 

 be a poorer if not a wiser man, by seven pounds, and perhaps 

 I shall know better than to back horses with stable-boys up. 

 But what do I hear ? 



'I'll take three to one the Duckling the Ugly Duckling 

 wins ; I'll take very little odds ! ' 



Up go my glasses again ; there is no doubt about it, the 



