* Ibennit's ' Urtal 65 



We wanted ' Hermit ' to win the trial, as the stable 

 had heavily backed him, and in those days there 

 was more chance to hedge and cover their money. 

 It was left to me to arrange the weights, which I 

 did. I weighed myself and the lad who looked 

 after ' Rama,' and then put a weighted saddle-cloth 

 under ' Rama's ' clothes. As both horses had sheets 

 of the same weight, no one could tell that they 

 were doine other than ordinarv exercise. I did not 

 like to let the ' young un ' have too much the worst 

 of the weights, so I put them at 16 lb. for the year, 

 as ' Rama ' had proved himself as good as ' Lord 

 Lyon ' the autumn before. We started at the old 

 stables, went up by the side of the Ditch to the 

 Cambridge Road, and we were to finish near the 

 site of the old Duke's Stand, this being alto- 

 gether a distance of a mile and a half. After we 

 had gone a little over a mile, ' Hermit' was pulling 

 me out of the saddle, and I thought it ought to be 

 nearer 7 lb. to try at, so called out to the boy on 

 ' Rama ' to " Go on, and give him one with the stick," 

 as I knew that the horse was rather lazy. This the 

 boy did, but with no effect. All at once ' Hermit ' 

 gave a tremendous cough, and nearly fell down, at 

 the same time smothering me with blood. I pulled 

 him up, or, rather, he pulled himself up, and walked 



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