(Bcortje ©sbal^eston 225 



training, galloping sixty miles every morning, and spend- 

 ing the rest of the day in partridge shooting, to relax the 

 muscles. The event came off at the Newmarket 

 Houghton meeting, over four miles, commencing and 

 finishing at the Duke's stand. As he leaped into the 

 saddle, 5 to 3 were freely offered on the rider against 

 time. Mr Gully took iocmd to 100 that the feat would be 

 accomplished in nine hours, and the distance was per- 

 formed in eight hours forty-eight minutes, twenty-eight 

 horses being used. The Squire realised ;^i8oo in bets, 

 besides the stakes, a sum which I imagine he might 

 have quadrupled had he pleased. Of course, as soon as the 

 thing was done, there were lots of critics who said it was 

 not such a very great exploit after all. The Squire 

 silenced these gentlemen by the following challenge. 

 ' I challenge any man in the world, of any age or weight, 

 to ride any distance he prefers, from 200 to 500 miles, 

 for ;^20,ooo ; but if he will only ride 200 or 250 miles, I 

 will ride him for ;^ 10,000 ; or I will ride against the 

 jockey of 7 st. whom they talk of backing, to ride 200 

 miles in 8 hours, receiving 30 min. difference between 7 

 St. and II St. ; or I'll take ;^ 10,000 to ;^3000, or ;!^20,000 

 to ^6000, that I ride 200 miles in 8 hours, which, it 

 must be allowed, would be a wonderful performance 

 for 1 1 St. odd, and, I think, almost impossible — at least, 

 a single accident would lose me the match, and I should 

 have scarcely time to mount and dismount. I am 

 always to be heard of at Pitsford, near Northampton.' 

 The challenge was never taken up. 



Here is a more romantic instance of the Squire's 

 powers of endurance. When he was on a visit to 

 Lincoln, he met at a dinner-party, previous to a county 

 ball, the beautiful Miss Barton, afterwards Lady Sutton, 



P 



