ii6 LIFE OF MYTTON. 



a pity the country people should come so far from 

 home and not have some fun."* In fact, that 

 class of persons always built on diversion when 

 "Squire Mytton's" horses were on the turf, and 

 consequently, with them, the popularity of their 

 owner had no bounds. " Which is he ? " they would 

 cry out to one of their friends that knew him. 

 " That's /ic — that's Mytto7il' the friend would reply. 

 " Dang it !" you would hear a Staffordshire potter 

 or a Walsall nailor exclaim, "//« looks bike a good 

 7111 ; they tells me he can f eight natioii well." 



Before he became too heavy, my friend occasionally 

 rode among the gentlemen jockeys f of the day ; and 

 here "John Mytton" appeared again, for, strange to 

 say, he did not like to see an intimate friend win, 

 although he himself could not win. I had a rare 

 specimen of this unaccountable frolic in my own 

 person once, when riding in the same race with him 

 at Lichfield. He knew he himself had no chance to 

 win, but was determined I should not ; and, by 

 making several runs at my horse, caused him to 



* At Chester, he once actually went to his stable and fetched a horse 

 down to the course himself, which his trainer had not prepared to run, 

 and, mounting his jockey at the post, won the prize contended for. 



t Mr. Mytton's colours were green and white, with a black cap. 



