RACING ADVENTURERS. 251 



and listened once more to the babble of opposition 

 to his colt, Croft was proceeding after a long 

 walk to his quarters, when, as he passed a toll on 

 his road, he witnessed the arrival of a carriage 

 drawn by four horses, and while the vehicle was 

 pulled up for a moment he recognised its occupants. 

 They were Ridsdale and Edwards the jockey, the 

 latter being engaged to ride the St. Leger candi- 

 date of Mr. Gascoigne. The sight of these two 

 persons arriving at Doncaster in the same post- 

 chaise acted as a revelation to the trainer. In 

 one moment he saw in his mind's eye the source 

 of all the monetary opposition to the horse. The 

 jockey, it was obvious enough, had been " got at," 

 and the animal was destined to be " pulled," whilst 

 the mechanism of the robbery was undoubtedly 

 planned by the man in the post-chaise, Robert 

 Ridsdale. 



Croft acted with decision. Next morning at 

 breakfast time he waited on his employer, in order 

 to tell him what he had witnessed and what his 

 suspicions were. Mr. Gascoigne at once agreed 

 to his trainer's proposition to put up another 

 jockey than Edwards on the horse, and Benjamin 

 Smith was very quietly engaged for the duty. 

 This matter was well managed, and till Jerry was 

 saddled for the contest no one expected that the 

 jockey would be changed, as Edwards had been 

 dressed for his work an hour before the time set 

 for the race. When Benjamin Smith was seen 

 on the back of Mr. Gascoiofne's colt consternation 

 seized the betting men ; those of them who a few 

 minutes previously had been loudest in their offers 

 against Jerry now turned round and began to back 

 the horse with all their might, so as to be able, in 



