THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



' Well, Frank,' said Sir Jolin, ' how did you oet on at 

 Eton ? I heard of your performances on the " Balloon " coach. 

 Mitchell also wrote me word tliat Jack Bailey speaks well of 

 you.' 



' Oh, Eton's well enough out of school hours, Sir John,' 

 replied Frank ; ' lots of fun going on then. I liked Stevens 

 very much indeed ; he never refused me a tandem, and he 

 ticked me for a terrier at once, the best you ever saw ; he has 

 drawn three badgers, and killed three cats, since I have had 

 him. I only gave two guineas for him, and I have brought 

 him down to have a breed between Myrtle and him. But 

 everybody seems to like Jack Bailey ; I have had several 

 lessons of him.' 



' That's right,' said Sir John ; ' there's nothing like being well 

 " nitiated " in road- work ; and pray what was your favourite 

 road, when you w^ent out in Stevens's tandem ? ' 



' Oh,' replied Frank, ' sometimes one, sometimes another ; 

 but I'll tell you a good story about what happened a fortnight 

 back. Two fifth-form fellows went in a tandem to Egham, 

 and dined at the " Running Horse." They drank too nuich 

 wine, and, by taking a wi'ong turn, lost themselves in Windsor 

 Great Park. Seeing a finger-post, however, the one that Avas 

 not driving got out of the gig to read it, when, after a pause 

 — for I suppose he could not see very clearly — he called out, 

 " H for Windsor ; all right, go along, Bob ! " They came too 

 late for absence, and got a devil of a flogging the next day ; but 

 " H for Windsor ; go along, Boh ! " has been a kind of w^atch- 

 word at Eton ever since.' 



' Capital ! ' exclaimed Sir John. ' I remember a joke, when 

 I was there, which wall never be forgotten. The fellows had 

 all red coats made purposely for the Montem ; and w^hen they 

 had to pass in procession before old George III., a lad named 

 Ripston appeared in one big enough for a full-grown man, 

 wath skirts down to his heels, and great silver buttons, witli a 

 fox running engraved upon them. Old Heath was outrageous, 

 and called him up to him, which being observed by " Old 

 Nobbs," as we called the king, he asked the Doctor who the 

 boy w^as ? On hearing the name, his Majesty good-humouredly 

 exclaimed, " Oh, Doctor, leave him alone ; / know his breed." 

 The fact was, he was the son of a sporting baronet, a master 

 of foxhounds, and he had had the coat made large enouoh 



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