THE TOUTS TIP. 55 



me that you confound the public and the bookmakers, and in 

 trying to revenge yourself on your enemies, the bookmakers, you 

 would simply be hurting the innocent public. You would be 

 playing into the hands of the very men you want to break. I 

 say that if an owner of racehorses bets largely, and is only too 

 ready to win the money of the betting public, then he ought to 

 have some respect for the interests of that public. And the 

 public has a right to have its special correspondents at head- 

 quarters to keep it accurately posted in all that happens to affect 

 its interests.' 



Then it was that the loud-voiced blustering gentleman, whose 

 w^ords I opened with quoting, sneered at the touts. The vigour 

 of the invective for a moment silenced us. But presently a very 

 quiet-looking old gentleman, who was sitting almost concealed 

 in the corner, said mildly, but firmly, 



' I think you're wrong, sir, in your estimate of the value of 

 touts and training intelligence.' 



' Indeed, sir !' exclaimed the blustering man ; ' and may I ask 

 why you think I'm wrong ?' 



' I think,' continued the old gentleman calmly, ' that the tout, 

 as a rule, is a good judge of horses' capabilities, and, from his 

 experience, can be trusted to give a sound opinion.' 



' I totally differ from you, sir,' said the blustering man hotly ; 

 'they're a worthless set of humbugs ; and the so-called " Special 

 Training Reports" are a fraud. No one ever found a tout a safe 

 guide.' 



' Pardon me, sir,' replied the old gentleman ; ' if you will have 

 patience with me, I can prove that your last statement is quite 

 erroneous ; I am myself an instance of a man who found a tout 

 a safe guide. Indeed, I owe my present position in the world 

 entirely to a tout ; and I will tell you how it was.' 



The blustering man and the 'distinguished sportsman' simul- 

 taneously gave vent to expressions of incredulity and impatience. 

 But the majority of the company requested the quiet-looking old 

 gentleman to proceed with his story, which he did as follows : 



* I was at Doncaster on the Saturday before the St. Leger in 

 1 838, and outside the livery-stables at which I baited my horse I 

 saw a man leaning against a doorway. He had an unmistakably 

 horsey look about him, and was, as I suspected, a racecourse 

 loiterer. Just out of idle curiosity I spoke to him. " Well, who's 

 going to win the Leger ?" I said. Without a moment's hesitation, 

 he answered as gliblv as If he were announcing a fact that could 



