THE JUVENILE JOCKEY 223 



out of the nature of his occupation, and the said 

 John Porter shall not be held liable for any con- 

 sequences thereof or arising thereout." Then follows 

 a statement of what "it shall be lawful for the said 

 John Porter immediately thereupon, and without 



any notice to the said or his father to do in the 



event of the lad misbehaving himself." In point of 

 fact the master may under such a circumstance 

 " cancel and put an end to the said apprenticeship." 

 1 I may remark in explanation that some boys are 

 taken for short and some for long terms of service 

 according to their physical appearance, that is to say, 

 whether they look like growing rapidly into heavy 

 weights or promise to remain small. It is surpris- 

 ing how very few of them make really good horse- 

 men, although at the end of about two years in the 

 saddle there is not one of them who does not con- 

 sider himself equal to Archer or Cannon. At 

 Kingsclere I have a man whom they call "the 

 Captain," whose special duty it is to look after the 

 bed-rooms, bath-rooms, and lavatory devoted to the 

 boys' use. He carves for them at their meals. He 

 is provided with a book in which he enters a report 

 of the proceedings of the boys, and the account is 

 submitted to my inspection once a week. This 

 report includes a list of all breakages and damage 

 done. I have adopted what experience in the work- 

 ing shows to be an excellent rule with regard to 

 anything injured or destroyed. Each individual 

 case of damage is valued, and the amount charged 

 to the boys as a whole, therefore it is for them to 



