My First Steeple-chaser. 91 



The day was fine, and country people mustered strong, every 

 hard rider for miles around was there, and a cheer burst from the 

 crowd as the clear manly voice of one of the stewards (over whose 

 farm the principal part of the line ran) shouted '' Are you all ready, 

 gentlemen? Then off you go." And away the lot went, like a 

 flock of pigeons floating over a dovecote top. The three fences 

 leading down to the brook were cleared by all in their stride with- 

 out a mistake 5 but directly they got into the meadow, three or four 

 of the older jockeys were seen to take a pull at their horses as if to 

 steady them for what was coming. ''^ I'll give you a lead over," 

 shouted Tom, as he came through his horses, and old Dot-and-Go- 

 One skimmed over the brook like a swallow on a summer evening. 

 As he turned in his saddle after he had landed, to see who had 

 followed him, five horses and riders were struggling in the brook, 

 while seven were in the meadow with himself. As soon as he had 

 seen our horse well over, my old friend and myself, with a crowd 

 of well-mounted farmers, galloped across to the lane to watch them 

 come back over what the old man called the '''^ casualty fence" in 

 the race 3 and we, therefore, did not see much of the horses again 

 till they had turned the middle flag. Only two of those that got 

 in the brook came again into the race, and they did not catch the 

 other horses till they were half way round. One of the Findon 

 horses — a great, strong, fine-looking hunter — had rushed to the 

 front, after crossing the brook, and made the pace tremendous, 

 closely followed by the favourite and two others. Tom lay about 

 fifth, the whole time inwardly wondering how long it would be 

 after they had rounded the flag before the leaders came back to 

 him. Strange to say, there was hardly one of the front division 

 that he was the least afraid of 3 but there was a great raking 

 chestnut mare who had lain close to him throughout the race, 

 taking every fence just behind him as surely and safely as himself, 

 but who never tried to pass him, which he began now to consider 

 dangerous. Tom had taken no notice of this chestnut at starting, 

 nor could he for the life of him call to mind either the mare or her 



