HALF AN HOUR WITH A SPORTING PROPHET. 



Some short time ago, owing to the excellent arrangements of 

 the Great Eastern Railway, I found myself landed at the New- 

 market Station in advance of the time fixed for the first race. 

 The day was not a very pleasant one ; and feeling disinclined to 

 leave the station, I amused myself by scrutinising my fellow- 

 passengers until they left the platform, and then, going into the 

 waiting-room, seated myself by the fire. I had not been there 

 long before a man I had noticed selling cards on the platform 

 came in ; he was rather a remarkable-looking man, with clean- 

 shaven face, small dark eyes, and had a very shrewd, not to say 

 cunning, look about him ; a very shiny ' topper,' and highly- 

 polished, but very seedy, boots, added to his appearance ; and 

 as we were the sole occupants of the room, began a conversa- 

 tion. Soon, however, taking a seat at the table, he produced a 

 large bundle of telegraph-forms from his pocket and began filling 

 them up very rapidly. Presently noticing, I suppose, that I was 

 looking with rather a curious eye at his work, he took up several 

 of them, and pushing them over to me, said, 



' There, sir, that's what I am doing.' 



On reading them I found they were all telegrams relating to 

 betting and Turf matters to be sent off to young fellows at Cam- 

 bridge, London, &c., under various pseudonyms — ' The Boy 

 round the Corner,' ' Weasel,' ' Auceps,' ' Viator,' &c. ; some were 

 to back No. 2 for the Two Thousand, others various other num- 

 bers, and one telegram stated amongst other things that Mat 

 Dawson had sent a certain horse a stiff mile and a half gallop 

 that day ; this I knew to be untrue, and told the man so, to 

 which he coolly replied, 



' Bless you, sir, what does it signify ? They likes to fancy 

 theirselves well posted up in racing, and think that they have 

 private information about the horses' work.' 



I was very much amused at the man's impudence, and asked 

 him if he really was the person who advertised in the sporting 



