CHASING AND RACING 187 



to court disaster. He had had some ! A curious 

 incident once happened when I was riding him 

 at Lewes. It goes to show what extraordinarily 

 retentive memories horses have. He was entered in 

 a mile and a half race which started on the remote side 

 of the course. I was the first to leave the paddock. 

 By way of giving my mount a pipe opener I bowled 

 him sharply along the straight. All of a sudden he 

 pulled up dead, and stuck his toes in. Nothing I 

 could do in the way of coaxing or objurgations could 

 induce him to budge an inch. I now recognized that 

 we were at the five furlong starting-post^ from which 

 he had not raced since his two-year-old days ; but he 

 evidently knew and recognized it as the correct mark 

 for his business. By-and-by the rest of the field 

 came cantering past us, whereupon this rival of 

 " Mr. Datas " consented to join the gay throng. 

 Incidentally it was at this meeting, if my memory does 

 not play me false, that I had the unpleasant and sad- 

 dening experience of seeing a man killed by lightning. 

 Just as I was dressing, after a race in which I had taken 

 part, a terrific thunder-storm broke over the stands. 

 A blinding flash of lightning was instantaneously 

 followed by a deafening crash. A great commotion 

 at the entrance followed, I ran out and saw that a 

 drag with a pair of big bays belonging to Mr. Steanning 

 Beard was almost out of hand. As the coachman was 

 trying to master them, another vivid streak descended. 

 He fell off the box and lay stilly whilst luckily a plucky 



