354 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



times ; he wouldn't buy unless you asked your three 

 or four hundred guineas. Philo and Vespasian, they 

 were grand horses. Then there was Juniper ; he was 

 a tremendous horse I broke him. When he made 

 that Clinker and dasher steeple-chase match, Cap- 

 tain Ross wanted to buy him in room of Clinker. He 

 bought Smasher, too, of Sir Harry Goodricke, for 

 1,500 gs. great fine horse that was. Friar of Orders 

 Grey, he was a nice one ; my Lord rode about list., 

 but he was not one of your very forward ones. Ves- 

 pasian gave me a terrible smash a devil of a shaking 

 that was. Langar nearly killed me ; I didn't know 

 where I was for a long time ; he put his foot and 

 pinned me down by the hair of my head, so they 

 told me. I don't know what he did ; I knew no- 

 thing for a good bit. I practised the horses at water 

 more than anything; sometimes I had thirty of them 

 all a-teaching at one time. I have made as many as 

 five fifteen shillings'es before breakfast. It would be 

 nearly twenty-four years I was at that work in Mel- 

 ton, and then I went to Lord Scarboro's. Lord 

 Plymouth, he must have died very nigh about the 

 same time as poor Sir Harry : they both caught cold 

 on the water, with otter-hunting and yachting. 



That King of the Valley you've heard of was Mr. 

 Maxse's horse. Old George Marriott how I have 

 seen him go, to be sure, in the Ranksboro' country! 

 showed this 'ere grey to Tilbury when the down mail 

 stopped somewhere : he says, " If you don't buy him, 

 I will" ; so Tilbury did buy him. There were seven 

 of us in that great go from Nosely Wood to Billes- 

 don Coplow. Field Nicholson won on Magic, and I 

 was second on this King ; I got dreadfully crowded 

 in, and I had two falls, or I should have beat them. 

 Mr. Haycock was leading on Clinker three fields from 

 home, nearly a hundred yards before Magic. Poor 

 Clinker ! he was blind with defeat when his bridle 

 came off. I was 200 yards nearer the Coplow when 



