GAMBLING AND BETTING. 177 



the 'Varsity meetings were held generally in March, the 

 Derby and Oaks were, at times, somewhat heavily 

 speculated upon : I myself was never a man to bet more 

 than a few pounds on the big races. At one of these 

 University meetings, after dinner, I was asked my opinion 

 of the next year's Derby ; I said I had a fancy for West- 

 Australian. I was told he had no chance, and a Mr. — 

 well ! I will leave his name a blank — offered me ^^50 

 to ;^4, which I took, and another, who was only a visitor, 



a Captain K , said that I had laid my money out 



badly, and he would give me 15 to I, £60 to £/\., against 

 him. This being very tempting, contrary to my usual 

 custom I took it, thus standing to win ;^II0 or lose 

 £S. The horse rose rapidly in the betting, and about 

 six weeks afterwards, knowing that a wager was not 

 " well made till it was well hedged," I laid a certain 

 sporting parson or " Squarson " £^0 to ^8 against the 

 horse, thus standing to win £jo and lose nothing. 

 To my delight West-Australian won. On the following 

 market-day, when my clerical friend appeared, I joyfully 

 gave him my cheque for £^0. I regret to say I never 

 received one farthing of my £1 10. 



My disgust was so great, that I resolved never again 

 to bet on a horse-race. The former young gentleman, 

 then of Merton College, came to a regular smash ; the 



last I heard of Captain K was, that about three years 



afterwards he took a very prominent part in heading a 

 party at the Doncaster St. Leger who w^ere pursuing a 

 " Welsher," whom they stripped of his clothes, and, I 

 believe, soundly thrashed ; the scamp in truth being quite 

 as deserving of that treatment himself, if we are to judge 



