THE ADMIRAL'S ANGER 39 



was not entirely unprecedented — that until that 

 moment the reigning Dictator of the Turf had 

 seldom been seen more like an admiral afloat, with 

 ' punishment ' for some flat mutineer impending. 

 Nevertheless, angry as he was, he refused to be 

 blinded to the fact that Sir Joseph Hawley was in 

 danger of being still further given away. On all sides 

 he was urged to keep the jockey in the scale until 

 it was ascertained how much extra weight Wells 

 had actually carried ; but the Admiral repelled this 

 disingenuous advice with righteous scorn. ' No ! ' 

 he exclaimed, ' it would be doing an injustice to Sir 

 Joseph Hawley to permit such a thing.' Then, 

 striking Wells on the back, he cried, ' Get out ! I 

 am disgusted with you.' That part of the incident 

 closed. Doyle had had his revenge. The exact 

 information, which the spectators of the disqualifica- 

 tion vainly clamoured for, may now be supplied. 

 The unlawful excess which Blue Gown carried 

 in the race was 5 lb., making the full weight 

 9 st. 1 lb. 



The weighing out was not witnessed by Porter, 

 owing to a thunderstorm. He had given orders 

 that the horse should leave the stable, but, calculat- 

 ing that the storm would be of short duration, he 

 borrowed a pony from Mr. Axe, the veterinary 

 surgeon, and, cantering back, prevented Blue Gown 

 from leaving his box as early as had been arranged, 

 in fact not until the storm had abated. There was 

 a great crowd, and Porter rode along with the 

 horse to save him from being run into. When he 



