252 CHASING AND RACING 



exaggerated. But, of course, there were black sheep 

 in the fold, and no doubt some very clever and daring 

 ramps were occasionally engineered. Taking them 

 all in all, I found the professional jockeys a respectful 

 and respectable lot, though there were one or two 

 whose heads appeared to have swelled to such an extent 

 that they had to take the largest sizes in racing caps. 

 These exceptions were apt to be dour or cynical. No 

 doubt the instructions which were hammered into them 

 to keep their mouths shut and their ears open, may 

 have accounted for their mauvaise honte, and their 

 churlish manners. 



Personally, I appear to have enjoyed a full measure 

 of popularity among owners, trainers, and jockeys ; 

 consequently I was favoured with a plethora of" tips,** 

 which often left me in a dilemma as to what horse I 

 should support in a particular race. 



For instance, I invested on five horses in the 

 Cambridgeshire of 1893. At the last moment Bob 

 Sherwood told me that I must not leave Molly 

 Morgan out of my calculations ; but she had let me 

 down in the Caesarewitch, and I would have none of 

 her. My " bunch of five," headed by Raeburn, 

 followed *' Molly ** home without any interloper 

 intervening ! 



One day I met Humphries (who was then training 

 for the Thursbys) in Piccadilly. The genial one 

 invited me to his Club (the newly-formed and palatial 

 " Junior Constitutional *'), and there he confided to 



