Wrong Ageing. ii = 



with almost tears in his eyes, " I'm seldom wrong about 

 a horse, old fellow. I was right in sticking to Jurham, 

 Jerry, and Whalebone. Do take the word of an old 

 friend who has ridden and owned a few, that Havvke- 

 stone is a racehorse." I believed him, and had a 

 *' flutter " over the Lucknow event. There was one 

 difficulty ; I didn't know the horse's age, for Ralph 

 Hare had not given me a copy of the stud certificate. 

 I went to the stewards of the meeting and requested 

 them to age him. They sent the veterinary surgeon of 

 the cavalry regiment which was then stationed at Luck- 

 now to determine the point. The M.R.C.V.S. being 

 somewhat timid of "gees," approached the brown horse 

 cautiously. I opened the animal's mouth for him. He 

 gave a hurried glance into it, and said, " Three years 

 old." Thereupon I closed that mouth and sent the 

 horse straight off to his stable, although John Wheal 

 and others wanted to have their look too. Now Hawke- 

 stone happened to have an old side and a young side 

 to his mouth. The vet. inspected the latter only, and 

 never looked at the former at all ! He also, probably, 

 forgot that country-bred racehorses took their ages 

 from January i. It was then February — and no doubt 

 ■considered he would be four on the following May i — 



