My First Steeple-chaser. 79 



the case, he had some rip or other to run. And although he had 

 never missed a Leger since he was twenty, he rarely laid a shilling 

 on a race. He was a perfect walking racing calendar, knew the 

 pedigree of every stallion out, and the fund of turf information he 

 possessed was extraordinary. Like all good judges, however, he 

 was shy of giving an opinion j and " I'm told, mind you, although I 

 know nothing myself, that such a horse will see a better day," was 

 his quiet way of " putting a friend on j" and it generally turned out 

 well for those that took the hint. 



Now, after all this long rambling preface, I fancy it is about time 

 that I told the reader something about my first steeple-chase horse. 

 Well, it was, as near as I can recollect, in the end of July, 1 84 

 that I had to go down from our place to York upon some business. 

 I met the night coach on the North-road, and as there was plenty 

 of room, I got the box-seat alongside of the coachman. At our 

 first stage, the coachman who, like the rest of the craft, dabbled 

 in horses a little himself, and, of course, knew my old friend 

 begged me to look at his near leader, when we got down to change, 

 for he fancied he was just the sort of nag to suit him, " for, although/' 

 added the man, " he certainly is a little groggy, I'll eat my hat, 

 if he only got into the right hands, a pot of money might not be 

 made out of him." At the next change we stopped to supper, and 

 I then had lots of time to examine the horse in whom lay such 

 hidden treasures. His looks certainly did not belie the coachman's 

 words. Apparently as thorough-bred as Eclipse, sixteen hands 

 high, with lots of bone, and a nose which, as his owner observed, 

 might be got into a quart pot, while rather drooping quarters and a 

 long thin swish tail gave him quite a varmint appearance. Indeed, 

 I think I never set my eyes on a much more taking horse than this 

 his very poverty only brought out his good points into bolder 

 relief; and were it not for an unfortunate twitch apparently in the 

 near hind leg as he limped towards the stable, he would have been 

 perfect. But the secret of his being in this team was accounted for 

 by this very lameness, which had baffled all the best veterinary 

 surgeons in the North, and was destined to remain incurable till the 



