TROTTING RACES. 107 



heat. "The evening shadows had now thickened, 

 and, as the great crowd had shouted itself weak and 

 hoarse, it passed slowly through the gates, and drove 

 in a subdued manner home." 



There is one other race of which I cannot forbear 

 giving a brief account, because the winner displayed 

 the same admirable qualities as Smuggler, and tri- 

 umphed where his defeat was supposed to be inev- 

 itable. There were eight contestants, but the real 

 competitors were three, namely, Nobby, Felix, and 

 Florence. 



Xobby was a very peculiar horse: a dark bay 

 gelding, with a long neck and body, a fine head, and 

 altogether a thoroughbred and even greyhound appear- 

 ance. His gait was long, low, and smooth. He was 

 however a wild breaker, and extremely nervous. " The 

 twitter of a canary bird on a limb," said John Splan, 

 his driver, " would have more effect on Xobby than 

 a full brass band on an ordinary horse." Both his 

 mouth and feet were in bad condition, but Splan. 

 who took the horse for the first time on the day of 

 the race, poulticed his feet, and relieved his mouth 

 by driving him with an easy bit and nose-band at- 

 tachment. He also stuffed the horse's ears with 

 cotton, so that he should not be scared or worried to 

 a break by the shouting and whipping of the other 

 drivers. ''Xobby," said the contemporary report in 

 the Spirit of the Times, " impresses you with the 

 idea that he is constantly trying to lose the race by 

 making a mistake. Splan drove him as carefully as 

 if he were handling eggs." Felix was a bay gelding, 

 and a horse of speed. — much speedier, in fact, than 

 Xobby; but, as a reporter of the race remarked, "he 



