THE TURF. 
market; whereby, according to the old adage, the 
biter was bitten, and deservedly bitten too. The late 
Earl of Grosvenor had a horse heavily engaged at the 
Craven meeting, and a few days before he was to run a 
report was circulated that he coughed. But whence 
the report ? Why a man had been hired, by a party, to 
lie all night on the roof of his box to ascertain the fact 
which he proclaimed. His authority, however, being 
doubted, another worthy was employed to perform the 
same office on the following night ; which, coming to the 
ears of the trainer, was immediately reported to his 
noble employer. " Have we no horse that coughs ?" 
inquired his lordship. " We have one, my lord," was 
the reply. " Then," said his lordship, " Let him be 
put into the box over which the fellow is to pass the 
night ; and if he does not catch his death from this cold 
north-east wind and sleet, we shall do very well." Of 
course the odds became heavy against the horse, from 
the report of this second herald ; and his lordship 
pocketed a large sum by his horse, who won his race 
with ease. Still later, indeed (the parties being now 
alive the one, no other than Mr. Wilson, the oldest 
member of the Jockey Club ; and the other, a noble 
duke, but then a noble viscount), a very fair advantage 
was taken of a report circulated by the means of one 
of these watchers, vulgarly called " touters." Mr. 
Wilson was about to try a two-year colt, and had 
entered his trial for the morrow. " We must not 
try to-morrow, sir," said his trainer. "Why not?" 
HI 
