392 ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



got himself fit as a fiddle." True enough, the best of 

 his rivals had to "look oot" when he was fit. His 

 " form " in the saddle would be brilliant for a period, 

 then the old craving would reassert itself in a sad- 

 dening way. On one occasion he was " far gone" when 

 engaged to ride one of " Paddy " Drislane's horses. 

 Fearing that he would not be able to steer the horse 

 straight, " Paddy " furnished the animal with hood and 

 blinkers as a safeguard. Jim, on coming to his mount 

 in the saddle, saw the " curtain " over the horse's head 

 and eyes. " Naa, naa, tak' it away, tak' it away, bleend 

 horse and bleend jockey winnet dee." And removed 

 the hood and blinkers were, with the result that 

 the poor fellow piloted the horse home a winner in 

 miraculous fashion. 



Osborne, speaking of the good-hearted fellow, 

 said : — 



" I remember one grand set-to we had when 

 he beat me on Uncas on a horse called Kilmartin. 

 Another time was when he did me on Fortunio 

 when I rode Tynedale in the Northumberland 

 Plate in '68. Once he was riding a horse called 

 Creditor at York. He was ' a httle bit on ' that 

 day, and was slow in getting down to the post. 

 The starter (Mr. M'George) said, 



" ' Now, Jim, get among your horses again, 

 you're very late.' 



" ' All right,' said Jim, ' I can afford to give 

 them a bit start.' 



" He won the race sure enough, bad as he 



was. A first-class horseman was Jim. Many a 



time he rode a winner where lots of people would 



not have him to ride at all." 



Snowden won the Oaks when he was seventeen years 



