26 'OLD q' 



and a celebrated horse ^ owned by an Irish nobleman 

 of excitable temper and duelling celebrity. The j ockey 

 who rode Lord March's horse was of a lighter weight 

 than he who rode the Irishman's champion, therefore 

 recourse had to be made to the usual ' loadings ' with 

 a shotted belt. During the progress of the match 

 the ' encumbered ' jockey managed to get rid of his 

 burden, which was picked up by a careful observer 

 and adroitly slipped by him into the jockey's jacket 

 on returning to scale. Nevertheless, the quick visual 

 organs of the Celtic duellist and sportsman caught 

 sight of this act of racing legerdemain, and with 

 typical impetuosity he seized Lord March's repre- 

 sentative by the shoulder and threatened to thrash 

 him on the spot if he did not at once acknowledge 

 his guilt as well as at whose instigation he had acted. 

 The size and wrath of the Irish lord made the ' light- 

 weight ' tremble in his boots ; who, having returned 

 to scale as victor, after the usual ' Please, sirs,' and 

 other hesitancies of that order, 'cast the vile re- 

 proach ' upon his master ! The now doubly incensed 

 Hibernian taxed his lordship with the deceit, and 

 the latter replied to the charge in a way that served 

 only to increase the wrath of his brother-sportsman. 



^ Wrongly described in some versions as PotSos, who was not 

 foaled till 1773 ! 



