Cardsellers, ToiUs, and Augurs. 169 



was shortly afterwards gazetted to Botany Bay, about 

 the same time that his great namesake was translated 

 to Durham. 



The touts of the present day form a very large 

 class on the turf, and are constantly recruited by a 

 never-failing supply of over-grown grooms, who burst 

 on to the prophetic world of literature as "Voltigeur," 

 " Goldfinder," and the like. About forty or fifty of 

 them live in Newmarket, and receive about I/, is. a 

 week from their employers, whose weekly reports 

 have been sadly less lucid since the new trial-course 

 came into use ; it takes, however, no ordinary vigi- 

 lance to baffle them, and their devices would be 

 worthy of Field himself. The mere skirters of the 

 fraternity are great in the "outer ring," and from 

 what we once witnessed in a train, we suspect that 

 not a few of the poorest contrive to get along the 

 railways by occasionally "squaring" the guard. The 

 publichouse is their great sphere of action ; and 

 in one instance one of the most distinguished of 

 the craft casually learnt all he required from a 

 village whitewasher, who revealed to him over a 

 can of ale, for which the " very civil drovier chap" 

 insisted on paying, that the object of his search, 

 "A horse with two white heels / don't know the 

 name" had walked very lame behind, as he was 

 shifted during the whitewashing process from one box 

 to another. The unconscious knight of the brush 

 little knew what suspicions he had confirmed, and 

 what telegraph-wires he set to work before evening 

 closed in. The Flying Dutchman was watched by a 

 perfect squadron of them before the Derby, and 

 Fobert in fact counted sixteen heads, looking like as 

 many crows in file, watching the horse from behind a 

 wall near Spigot Lodge as he came out for exercise. 

 One of the leaders candidly informed him that he had 

 " orders to see him in and out," but that on due 

 notice, he "would retire like a gentleman to a dis- 



