278 The Post and the Paddock. 



tain Ross for 900 or 1000 guineas, and retained Panza, 

 who was less than Clinker, and generally deemed the 

 cleverest of the three. Clinker, along with his great 

 rival, Clasher, Assheton, and Jack-a'-Lantern, were 

 popularly considered the heroes of the Homeric age 

 of hunting, as Moonraker, Grimaldi, Vyvian, and 

 Lottery were of steeplechasing. He was rather a 

 short thorough-bred bay horse, of great power, be- 

 tween sixteen and sixteen-one, up to fourteen 

 stone, with a long lean head, long in his pasterns, and 

 very fast, but rather high-tempered, as all the Clinkers 

 were, and, like Lottery, a very nervous water- jumper. 

 Good judges differed a good deal about him ; and 

 while many, including Mr. Osbaldeston (who ranked 

 him with his hound Vaulter), thought him bordering 

 on perfection, others have told us that he by no means 

 came up to their notions of a first-class hunter. He 

 was eventually sold by auction, along with Polecat 

 and the remainder of Captain Ross's stud, opposite 

 the George at Melton, and was knocked down to Lord 

 Willoughby D'Eresby for 350 guineas. Upwards of 

 two years afterwards Dick Christian was at Grims- 

 thorpe Castle, and his lordship said, " Christian, will 

 the old horse know you, do you think ?" " Very 

 likely, my lord," said Dick, and on going into the 

 stall and speaking to him, he seemed to express, by 

 rocking about, the very greatest pleasure at the visit. 

 His sire Clinker was by Sir Peter Teazle, and he and 

 his two half-brothers were bred by a Lincolnshire 

 farmer of the name of Wagstaff, out of, we believe, a 

 Sancho mare. It was from his High Sheriff's seat in 

 the York court that " The Squire" answered Captain 

 Ross's challenge to run him against Clasher, who was 

 a very good-looking fifteen-three brown horse, well up 

 to thirteen stone, and able to live in the front rank in 

 those jealous days, when it was all the fashion to 

 "ride at" his owner. Ride as they might, "The 

 Squire" was not to be caught, even with second 



