CHAPTEK XVIII 



Veni, Vidi, Vici, especially Yici — The Nottingham fiasco 

 — ^What the faithful paragraphists invented — I present Vici 

 to Fordham — The incident of the lane — Tom Cannon comes 

 into possession — He thinks he is in luck's way — Mr. Tubbs' 

 cheque : its value — King Lud — Determination to purchase — 

 Mr. Tom Lawley's advice to Lord Lonsdale — King Lud's 

 Ebor running — His Lordship's promise — I get good odds — 

 An easy Cesarewitch victory. 



It is the misfortune of most owners in their time 

 to come into possession of a horse on whom the 

 vocabulary of obloquy might be exhausted without 

 the language of exaggeration being used. One of 

 the kind indicated that reached my hands was Vici, 

 a son of Fazzoleto and Heiress. I had three un- 

 named horses at the time, and, chaffing me about 

 my fondness for the " V's," Lord Stamford suggested 

 they should be called Veni, Vidi, and Vici. They 

 certainly came (to hand), and they as assuredly saw 

 (the racecourse). But there was not a deal of the 

 conquering character about any one of them. Vici 

 undoubtedly could go a bit. But without allowing 

 that, like " the little girl who had a little curl which 

 reached right to her forehead," when good he was 



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