SURPLICE'S DEPARTURE FROM GOODWOOD. 273 



myself, of feeding and giving him his water with 

 my own hands, of taking care that neither his 

 food nor his drink should be doctored in any way, 

 and, finally, of never allowing him to be out of my 

 sight except when he was locked up and the key 

 was in my pocket, I did not feel inclined to permit 

 a stranger, even though he were a policeman, to 

 take my place. Knowing that many who placed 

 confidence in me had backed Surplice heavily from 

 what I thought of him long before his trial, I felt, 

 as the Derby Day drew nearer and nearer, and the 

 rumours of intended foul practices grew louder and 

 more sustained, that my responsibility was almost 

 more than I could bear. 



At last the anxious day Monday the 22d of 

 May 1848 arrived, upon which Surplice was to 

 take his departure from Goodwood. I placed him, 

 accompanied by his provender, in a single van, 

 which I had carefully prepared for his reception. 

 Locking the door of this van, and putting the key 

 in my pocket, I proceeded next to ensconce Load- 

 stone and Sagacity safely in a double van. In 

 addition to the vans, three or four horses made 

 their way on foot to the Drayton railway station. 

 The cavalcade was headed by my father, by Lead- 

 better (the detective officer from Bow Street), 

 and by some of the Goodwood stablemen. The 

 vans and horses came to the end of their railway 

 journey at the Beigate and Bed Hill station, 

 whence the vans were drawn by post-horses to 



s 



