RACING 229 



reach his hind boot when he pulled up at Petersfield. 

 And thus ended our eight-mile course, which was accom- 

 plished — by the watch of my box-companion, who enjoyed 

 the sport beyond anything — in a few seconds over twenty 

 minutes. 



Although my horses were none the worse for the race, 

 they being light, spicy well-bred animals, fit for that stage, 

 and that stage only, three of my opponent's four never 

 came out of the stable again. He^ was a most powerful 

 man, as well as a very superior workman, but of such a 

 temper, that I believe — indeed he afterwards so acknow- 

 ledged — he would have risked his own life as well as the 

 passengers' before he would have let me pass him. 



The result of this, my first attempt at fast driving, did 

 not redound much to my advantage. The town of Peters- 

 field was up in arms against the rash and inexperienced 

 young man who could so endanger the lives of his 

 passengers ; and as my father had lived among them 

 many years, the princi|)al gentleman or magistrate 

 thought proper to write to him on the subject. 



The proprietor of the " Anchor " at Liphook, too, who 

 had suffered most severely from this spirited contest, 

 wrote to him a long letter of complaint. The con- 

 sequence was, I had a business-like but parental admoni- 

 tion, which did not tend to make me further in love 

 with the profession I had adopted, or to render me more 

 inclined to support the gibes and taunts of my old 

 associates. 



However, this, like most other occurrences of a similar 



1 This poor man, whose name was Abraham Titmuss, ^Yas killed 

 not long after this by the axle-tree breaking. 



