260 CHASING AND RACING 



fashion that the great race was to be contested by 

 the animal kingdom ! It was a "straight run and in." 

 The winning-post was a flagstaff planted in the 

 middle of the course. A polyglot field turned out : 

 lions, tigers, elephants, bears, deer, pigs, rabbits, 

 and what not, including a squirrel, which got a flying 

 start, reached the flagstaff, a distance ahead of the 

 others, ran up it and sat crunching nuts on its 

 summit. 



I do not think any one connected with racing 

 knew that such a colt as The Squirrel was entered ; 

 assuredly / did not ! and yet when the numbers 

 went up, lo! and behold, No. 33 was Mr. Acton's, 

 The Squirrel! 



I was a very modest punter in those days ; but I 

 had my humble " Jerry o' Goblin " on The Squirrel 

 at 50-1. (Had I known as much as I do now I could 

 have had 500-1.) 



Now Mr. Acton was the assumed name of " Leo " 

 Rothschild, so The Squirrel's colours were " Blue, 

 yellow cap," and these were exceedingly prominent 

 on the stand side of the course at the psychological 

 moment. What is more, they were first past the post, 

 and my callow heart rejoiced with an exceeding great 

 joy. Unfortunately for me there was another gee 

 which bore the same resplendent jacket and cap, Sir 

 Bevys, to wit, who afforded George Fordham his one 

 and only victory in the Derby. 



The Squirrel had been started to make running for 



