92 ECHOES CF CLD COUNTY LIFE. 



jacket of purple and careen plaid, and Mr. Peyton stroked 

 it and said, " How pretty. I wonder if it will be as clean 

 as now at the end of the race." Lady Brassey told me 

 that she had that very jacket at home, and that her 

 father had always treasured it as a memorable record of 

 that great race. 



At the time I speak of I was a boy who had just left 

 school, and as ev^ery horse in the town was engaged, j 

 was glad to get a mount on an old grey post-horse with 

 a post-boy's saddle with a crupper, and, thus equipped, I 

 stationed myself close to the Stone Bridge river, where I 

 lingered for some time regarding the strange and novel 

 scene. Twenty horses with their riders faced the starter, 

 who thus addressed the competitors : *' Do you see 

 Aylesbury church-steeple ? " — " Yes." — " Well, when you 

 get near it, you will see two red flags in a field ; now 

 the first horse that passes between those two flags will 

 win the race ; none of you must go on to the turnpike 

 road or you will be disqualified. Are }^ou ready?" — 

 "Yes." — Then "Off"; and away they sped on their 

 perilous journey. Bell's Life describes the race, but 

 my personal recollection is that at the river twelve 

 or more seemed to be racing at it together, and I 

 counted, a moment after, thirteen floating about and 

 struggling to get out in a disorderly crowd. The 

 Marquis of Waterford, who rode his nearly-thoroughbred 

 horse Lancet, put him at the river at a splitting pace, 

 but as soon as his fore-feet touched the bank he fell 

 backwards. The poor horse was got out with great 

 difficulty after being in the water a long time, and a 

 fortnight after died in the White Hart stable at Aylcs- 



