352 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



famous terriers would ever be seen there again ; but what 

 would you ? Every man to his taste, and I hope the 

 present proprietor will, at any rate, breed fowls of the 

 very best. 



The range of the Hambleton Hills is in full view of 

 Kilvington, about eight miles away, but no longer are the 

 gallops there famous as almost the best in England. No 

 longer do the stables harbour such as Velocipede, Flat- 

 catcher, Knight of St George, Alice Hawthorn or even 

 Syrian and Sundeelah. 



If a stallion box remains it holds no Vatican and a 

 good thing too. The glories of Black Hambleton have 

 departed ages ago. And so the world wags on amid chops 

 and changes ; but the course of the most beautiful and 

 valuable animal in creation is upwards, ever upwards, so 

 long as the racing test remains, and it would be a sorry 

 day for our country if faddist and spoil-sport influences 

 should ever prevail with such disastrous effect as to 

 stop racing. It is inconceivable that this should be done, 

 but the Puritanical foe is always on the watch. 



And now let me really end this farrago of insignificant 

 events, which are the more insignificant in view of the 

 great ones through which we have all been passing. If 

 it be asked why I have written this book at such a time, 

 and what I have been doing in the great war, I shall 

 answer the first question by shifting the blame on to 

 Mr Grant Richards. In regard to the second, I can say 

 that I have done a very little " bit " as a volunteer once 

 more ; but, much more important, I have done my very 

 uttermost from start to finish to keep the flag flying as 

 regards horse breeding and racing, and to maintain the 

 supremacy of that great national asset and monopoly 

 the British Thoroughbred. 



