CHASING AND RACING 159 



unconsidered outsiders (one of which was, I think, 

 ridden by Roddy Owen) joined issue, and the four of 

 us reached the distance almost in a line, with Weasel, 

 perhaps, a neck to the bad. He fell away by another 

 half length ; so I had to give him a sharp reminder, 

 and call him all the insulting epithets I could lay my 

 tongue to. Like the gallant old warrior he was, he 

 responded with the utmost gameness. I had to come 

 up on the far side of the course ; but having a clear 

 run, Weasel began to peg back the others (all the 

 riders of whom were firing off a perfect fusilade of 

 catgut crackers) inch by inch ; and as the post was 

 reached, his head was sufficiently obvious to the judge 

 to gain him the verdict ; but the proverbial tablecloth 

 would have covered the four of us. There was much 

 hilarity indulged in by certain ribald fellows when I 

 returned to weigh in, because of my unorthodox 

 methods, and my peculiar seat, to say nothing of my 

 habit of applying the flail to Weasel's rump instead of 

 to his flanks, because he favoured the former pro- 

 ceeding, and was inclined to resent the latter. Well, 

 the proof of the pudding was in the eating. No doubt 

 Weasel was never so well or so carefully trained as he 

 was at Lewes in the able hands of James Prince ; but 

 the fact remains that during that period, I rode him 

 eleven times ; won outright, eight ; deadheated, 

 once ; was once second (I admit I ought to have won), 

 and only once unplaced; this last when competing 

 against others of a greatly superior class. 



