Ihe Leather Plater. 329 



and that our horse beat the captain's mare by two lengths. His 

 private opinion on the result can, however, best be gathered from 

 the following note which I received two days after the trial. 



It was headed "private and confidential," and sent express, and 

 ran thus : 



" The Chequers, Wednesday Morning. 



" DEAR SIR, Turner gammoned your lad to try your young horse against his 

 mare on Monday morning at even weights, and ' I stood in.' I saw the trial, and 

 watched both horses very closely. They both did all they knew, there's no mistake 

 about that, and your horse won by a couple of lengths. They rode in ten-pound 

 saddles, which I weighed, as well as both the men. Now I know that this running 

 was not correct, for at even weights I am sure the mare can beat the horse when she 

 pleases. I am certain that Turner has put the double on your lad. I fancy, mind, 

 although I can't prove it, that he managed somehow or other to slip in a stone of 

 dead weight, and if this was the case the running was about correct. I am confi- 

 dent that Turner got up this trial for no other purpose than to make your horse a 

 favourite ; for, instead of keeping the trial dark, he talked about it to everybody, and 

 it's known all over the country. I was at Hollerton market yesterday, and they 

 were all talking about it. They made the young horse first favourite, and I quietly 

 took 50 to 40 and stood the mare, and you take my advice and do the same, for at 

 even weight she'll win, in spite of all the trials. 



"Yours obediently, 



"JOHN HARRISON." 



It turned out afterwards, just as old John supposed, that Turner, 

 when saddling for the trial, managed to slip in a stone of dead 

 weight unseen by any one, and this brought the horses together. 

 The match came off. Tom made a waiting race of it, and the 

 captain won ; but instead of putting us in the hole, as Mr. Turner 

 intended, the trial was a capital thing for us, for we got all our 

 money quietly on the mare by commission, and, although beaten, 

 we won more on this match than on any other race the horse 

 ever ran for. 



Tom felt, however, so confident that ten pounds would bring 

 the horse and mare together, that directly after the first race he chal- 

 lenged the captain to run over again that afternoon for ^o/., the 

 horse receiving ten pounds' allowance. To this the captain, who 

 was rather flushed with his first victory, agreed. In this race Tom 



