My First Steeple-chaser. 1 1 1 



fences as at Findon, and a fair brook twice, the fences were of a 

 very different description j there was much more grass than I had 

 expected, and I was fearful that some light- weighted thorough-bred 

 (for the days of handicapping had just commenced in steeple-chas- 

 ing) would gallop away from the rest, for this course was just suited 

 to such a horse. 



I paid my half sov. and took a place on the stand j but not so 

 the Vet. with his usual Yorkshire caution he stationed himself 

 at the brook, and invested his ten shillings, at twelve to one, as 

 the old horse came down to it pulling double. The start was very 

 pretty. The only orders Jem received were, to follow one or other 

 of the favourites and these he obeyed to the letter, never leading 

 himself, but .sticking to the leaders as close as wax. It was a very 

 fast run race ; and at a mile from home only seven horses were left 

 in it. These soon dwindled down to five, and only three of them 

 came up, with anything like a chance, to the large brushed hurdle 

 across the racecourse, the last fence in the race. But the blue-and- 

 white colours were there. They all three rose together at the 

 hurdles, and when they landed safely the struggle began. " Van- 

 guard wins !" "Peter wins!" "Hercules wins!" were shouted by 

 a thousand voices. Half way up the run in, however, the gameness 

 of the old horse told j he struggled manfully to the front, and as 

 they shot by the grand stand, close to which the winning flags were 

 placed, he was two lengths ahead, Jem hard at work with whip and 

 spurs, and the judge's fiat was Hercules by three lengths. 



What a curious thing is popular favour ! Here was a strange 

 horse, which but few on this course had backed for a shilling, and 

 which scarcely a dozen men knew, and yet a hundred cheers 

 greeted him and his jockey as they came back to scale j and a score 

 of burly-looking squires and country farmers slapped me on the 

 back, and shook me by the hand, as they congratulated me on the 

 old horse's success. There were very few there who knew how 

 little chance old Hercules stood of winning twenty-four hours 

 before j and I met the good old butcher with a thoroughly cordial 

 handshake below the stand, for without him the race would pro- 



