i84 THE RACE AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES. 



as a sheepskin over her loins, and gave orders that she was not 

 to leave the box for a fortnight. Now had this been known 

 " outside the stable " what would have been the result ? Why, 

 an outburst of indignation because she was not immediately 

 struck out ; and the affirmation that if anything could have 

 induced an owner to strike out early, this was the case in which 

 to have done so. But "whilst there is life there is hope," and 

 here hope was realised beyond expectation. I had my suspi- 

 cions that the mare was suffering from colic, and not from in- 

 flammation ; so the bleeding and blistering were delayed and 

 only the sheepskin used, and a little turpentine given intern- 

 ally, which had the desired effect, the recovery being as sudden 

 as the attack — as is often the case in spasmodic affections. 

 The day after, the sheepskin was taken off, and she took gentle 

 exercise, and afterwards resumed work, notwithstanding the 

 injunction that she w^as not to leave the stable for a fortnight. 

 She ran at Doncaster, beating Sally and others in the Park 

 Hill Stakes, making the whole of the running; and the same 

 day, decided the Doncaster Stakes, without running for it, with 

 Lord Derby's Longboiv. 



Now had the mare had a relapse near the time, and so could 

 not have run, the whole thing would have been denounced as 

 a swindle. The charge would have been strengthened by the 

 opinion of the veterinary surgeon, that of an able man, and 

 one that doubtless the circumstances within his knowledge 

 justified him in forming; and once more it would have been 

 placidly concluded that she had been left in for the purpose of 

 obtaining money from the public. 



There is no more remarkable case than that of Hermit, in 

 1867, and one which will be in the memory of most of my 

 readers. On this occasion it was implicitly and almost uni- 

 versally believed that a catastrophe had befallen him. A few 



