17^ In Scarlet and Silk 



strange one. I was riding in a gallop with 

 the Royal Artillery draghounds, and crossing 

 Lamerby Park I noticed a big, leathering, 

 young bay pegging along in front, until on 

 reaching the stiff flight of rails which guarded 

 a big ditch on the far side he charged them, 

 was caught by the top bar, and turned head 

 over heels into the ditch. There he lay, 

 feebly waving all four legs in the air, and 

 two or three of us, as we slipped off our 

 horses to lend a hand, thought that it was 

 a case of a broken back. 



"And I gave ^800 for him last week," 

 said his owner (who was then Whip to the 

 drag) to me, in calm tones, as we assisted to 

 turn the animal over and get him "right side 

 up." That horse was Midshipmite, then three 

 years old, and seeing hounds for the first time 

 in his life. What he has accomplished since 

 is now a matter of Turf history ; Gatland 

 broke the horse in, and trained him for most 

 of his earlier engagements. He used to fall 

 sometimes two or three times a week on the 

 jumping ground at Alfriston, but before he 



