172 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



fighting was twenty-five minutes ; and this morning the 

 battle was given to Slack, who drew the first ten guineas 

 out of the box. Thus ended this dreadful combat.'"' 



The month of May having arrived, our hero after a 

 fortnight's good sport in trout-fishing, repaired to " the 

 great city" for several weighty purposes. One was to 

 make up matters with his uncle, by convincing him, 

 which was true, that he had no business in Parliament ; 

 another, to purchase two more horses at Tattersall's ; 

 and here he was guided by the advice of one able to 

 tender it. 



" Purchase those," said his adviser, " which have been 

 ridden over grass countries, such as Leicestershire or 

 Xorthamptonshire, where the fences are high and icide, 

 and where there are brooks. Half the horses called 

 hunters are all but worthless to hard-riding men, by 

 having been ridden in countries where the fences are 

 chiefly dead hedges, with small ditches and timber, but 

 no strong, live, blackthorn hedges, which horses must 

 push through, and leap a wide ditch beyond them as well, 

 and where there are no brooks of any width, many of 

 which, indeed, horses can walk through." 



He took his friend's advice, and purchased two well- 

 seasoned geldings that had had many a hot spirt over the 

 deep vale of Belvoir, and the cream of the Quorndon 

 country, and at the moderate price of 300 guineas for 

 the two. 



Epsom and Ascot were also taken in their turn, and 

 neither of them without their impression on our hero. 

 When contemplating with himself, at the latter place, as 

 to the means by which he could put his resolves into 

 effect, as to once signalizing himself on the turf, the 

 following rather curious coincidence happened. He was 

 thus accosted by his friend Dauntley : 



" I have a word to say to you, Raby," said he. " I 

 have just heard of a person in a retired part of Wales, 

 a devilish good judge of racing, mind ye, who has 

 two two-year-old fillies of his own breeding (and very 

 well bred they are) to sell, and both are in the next 

 year's Oaks. He will take 400 guineas for them, and I 

 strongly recommend you to purchase them, as you wish 

 to have a shy at the turf. At all events, they are 

 dog-cheap." 



"Cheap enough, no doxibt," replied Frank, "but I must 



