THE SPORTING WORLD. 179 



SO many, and the aid given so great, the perpe- 

 trator is usually found out and punished or exposed. 

 Not so the man of small means. He and his 

 horses are constantly subject to the villany of the 

 designing. I am quite aware that large stakes, 

 and great events, call forth far greater attention 

 than minor ones, and far more villainous inten- 

 tions. But where the owner of a favourite is a 

 high, honourable, and influential man the thing 

 is diff'erent, and sometimes impossible to bring 

 off. The gros jeu is where the favourite belongs 

 to some man who can be " got at," in 

 other words, tampered with, and not only so, 

 but led into the plans of those ever on the 

 look out for such a chance. "When it occurs 

 we may anticipate the havoc it creates. He 

 shares in the plunder, and if he was not one 

 before, from that moment becomes a sporting 

 man, running (figuratively) to win or lose, as best 

 suits his purpose and that of his confederates. 



They say "dog will not eat dog," we might 

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