Do I BUMP IN THE SADDLE ? " 9 1 



on Ranclagh did not, perhaps, improve matters. After 

 the Dehra Meeting was over, Mr. Lethorn's horses went 

 in due course to the Meerut races, in one of which both 

 Abdool Rahman and Aboo Janoub were entered. Mr. 

 Lethorn backed the former to w^'n a large stake, and 

 gave the mount to Dignum, while he put Gooch on 

 the latter. Now it happened that two or three sports- 

 men, thinking that the grey was the better horse of 

 the two, purchased him in the lotteries, and put old 

 George on fifty pounds to nothing. When the race 

 came off, Mr. Lethorn's pair led their field to the dis- 

 tance post, and then Gooch drew away in front of his 

 stable companion, bumping up and down in the most 

 ridiculous manner, and turning round to shout out, " Do 

 I bump in the saddle, Mr. Dignum > " I am afraid that 

 the owner and trainer did not join very heartily in the 

 uproarious bursts of laughter which greeted this absurd 

 attempt to pay off an old score. 



I must add that both Mr. Lethorn and Dignum 

 undoubtedly thought, from the Dehra form, that Abdool 

 Rahman was the better of the two. They, however, 

 overlooked the fact that the grey was rapidly " coming 

 on," while the bay was susceptible of no further im- 

 provement. 



