128 THE RACING WORLD 



business of my life would be conducted on race- 

 courses I should have regarded the suggestion as 

 too absurd for words. But circumstances dominated 

 me. I was related to a judge — I mean, of course, 

 an occupant of the box, not the bench — and he 

 had felt it desirable to have an assistant ; indeed, I 

 believe that the suggestion originated with the 

 Stewards of the Jockey Club. Sir John Astley 

 was at this time senior Steward, and he found a 

 man, but not by any means the right one ; for this 

 understudy was a wildly enthusiastic personage 

 who entirely lost his head in the excitement of the 

 struggle, uttered wild yells as the horses approached, 

 and flung his hat into the air in recognition of the 

 winner's triumph. He was indeed just precisely 

 the reverse of the man who was wanted, and as my 

 relative did not know where to look, I offered my 

 services if he thought they would be useful. Thus 

 I learned the duties of the office, and in course of 

 time succeeded to the position, about the last in 

 the world I had ever expected to occupy. 



So now I am a judge,^ and nothing could have 

 been wider of the mark than the observation I 

 made on returning from my first Derby. If asked 

 the chief requisites for the business, I should say an 



^ I cannot refrain from adding in the words of Mr. W. S. Gilbert, 

 " And a good judge, too ! " — Ed. 



