i66 The Trotter. 



a pony more on the mare with him, and let me stand your halves" 

 which I accordingly did. The mare went on capitally j old Jones 

 declared that she was the sweetest goer he had ever crossed. Nobody 

 ever mounted her but the old man, and his beautiful light hand just 

 suited her tender mouth. 



Not so old Morgan. He was always a savage, hot-tempered, 

 impetuous brute, and would never do his best except in the hands 

 of his old master. The only man who could ride him at exercise or 

 in his trials, was the groom who always looked after him 5 but he 

 had no idea of match-riding. The old horse, moreover, had now 

 got into a habit of breaking a thing he had never done in Sam's 

 hands and, in fact, went so rustily and unpleasantly, in any hands 

 he was not used to, that when the jockey who was engaged to drive 

 him (the best jockey in England of that day to put up on a savage 

 horse or a trotter) came down to the Grange a week before the match, 

 to get a little used to the horse, he candidly declared he dare not 

 back him for a shilling, because however good he might be, there 

 was no dependence to be placed in him now 5 for as sure as ever he 

 got to his top speed, so sure he was to break. This was true to the 

 letter. There was but one man in England who knew exactly 

 when that old horse was at his top speed, and who, moreover, knew, 

 from long experience, that the slightest mistake of his driver then 

 would be fatal and that was his old master. He knew just when 

 to press him when to let him alone and as long as old Morgan 

 felt Sam's firm, but steady, pull on his bit, he knew that he was 

 doing all that was asked of him -, and, as for breaking in his hands, 

 to use Mr. West's expression, "the old horse did not know how to 

 do it." 



The evening before the day appointed for the match, both horses 

 were on the ground, and stood in the Woolpack stables. Although 

 only quite a local affair, this match excited considerable interest, for 

 old Morgan was known to so many, and his name was connected 

 with so many daring exploits, that he had become quite a public 

 character; and although it was known that the squire had no longer 



