THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 223 



exclaimed, "Oh, really!" and at once proceeded to canter 

 leisurely along to the first fence. Just as he jumped this, 

 with a great deal of daylight showing between himself 

 and the saddle, the majority of the field were crossing 

 the second obstacle. If he had been on a Liverpool winner 

 he would have been rather put to it to catch them up, 

 after losing so much ground, and in justice to poor Travers, 

 it must be admitted that he was not the only amateur who 

 has been ' slipped.' 



The writer still holds a painful remembrance of an occasion 

 when he was riding one of his first races, and his mount was 

 a ' certaint3\' He felt too lordly to jump off with the rest, and 

 therefore let them get well away before thinking it necessary 

 to start ; and then— then they were not to be caught quite so 

 easily as he had reckoned on ! Knowing that the animal's 

 owner had the water-rates, and the family plate, and a few 

 other trifles on his horse, he admits that the next few 

 moments were rather unnerving. To be quite truthful, the 

 perspiration poured oft" his august brow like water, with sheer 

 horror ! He sat down and rode like a demon, but only just 

 got up in the last stride and won by a head. A subsequent 



interview with the owner was well, the proceedings neither 



opened nor closed with prayer ! But to return. 



Binkie made no attempt to catch his horses — which 

 attempt, even if made, would have been absolutel}' useless — • 

 but still cantered on, the green jacket and yellow spots 

 blobbing up and down, half a mile behind the rest. He just 

 managed to keep his seat over the fences by means of a hand 

 surreptitiously placed on the fore part of his saddle, until the 

 post and rails were reached. 



