Gentlemen Riders 



sense of boredom led him to be very communicative, and I 

 had not been five minutes in his company before he had 

 confided in me the reason for his journey south, which was 

 nothing more or less than to see Revirescat, on whom, if he 

 were to be believed, he had invested the savings of a lifetime, 

 win the Grand National. " He belongs to a Scot, his rider s 

 a Scot, and he's Scottish bred his ain sel ; Moit, hell win ! " 

 shouted the keeper, emphasising each remark with a mighty 

 bang of his fist on the table. 



He was a hard-headed customer, that Highland keeper, 

 for on paying a visit to the crowded smoking-room quite late 

 in the evening, there he was, perfectly sober to all outward 

 appearance, engaged in a heated argument on the subject of 

 grouse shooting with a volunteer officer in full uniform who 

 was standing with his back to the fireplace, very particularly 

 drunk. 



As we came in, my friend was just having the last word. 

 ** Noo," said he, "joost for the sake of argument, v/e'U pre- 

 shume that you're havin' a day on the moors with his Grace 

 the Deuk of Sutherland, who ye sae ye' re sae intimate wi', 

 and I'm here an' you're there^ and the dogs rangin' as usual, 

 and a pack o' grouse gets up in front of your gun. Noo," 

 said the keeper, shaking his head doubtingly as he spoke, 

 " I'm wonderin which ye'd be shootin', me or the dogs f" 



This settled the matter, and amidst a roar of laughter from 

 the assembled company, the other fairly bolted from the room. 



Revirescat, the horse referred to, and Captain Hope- 

 Johnstone's first mount in the Grand National, belonged to 

 Mr. J. Heron Maxwell, and though a giant in stature was a 

 very good horse, and heavily backed on this occasion by 

 his owner and friends. So sanguine indeed was that fine 

 old sportsman, Mr. Ned Maxwell, of the result that, in his 



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