26 SPORTING STORIES 



and on stopping at a small cottage to inquire his way 

 noticed a window in which a square had been stopped up 

 with the manuscript copy of an old ballad, while the pane 

 next to it had been strengthened by pasting on it a i^20 

 Bank of England note. 



The aged couple to whom the cottage belonged did not 

 know the value of the piece of paper — in fact, they could 

 neither read nor write — and so Hill had little difficulty in 

 buying the " picture," found months before on the high 

 rpad, for half a crown. Again in funds, he, like Whittington, 

 " turned back on his footsteps," invested part of his windfall 

 on the next day's events, and cleared altogether over 

 eighty pounds. 



To his credit be it said, he repaid the old folks the 

 twenty pounds. 



Lord George Bentinck gave him the first " leg up." 

 Lord George took a liking to the ex-boots, and, seeing 

 that he possessed exceptional shrewdness, entrusted Hill 

 with his commissions. From that moment Harry's fortune 

 was made. His first grand coup was when Bloomsbury 

 won the Derby in the historical snow-storm of 1839. Harry 

 made a large sum by that event, and through a dispute 

 over the race attracted the attention of Baron Martin, who 

 afterwards became one of his fastest friends. But Hill, 

 with that shrewd common sense which was the most 

 salient point of his character, always stuck to Lord George, 

 and executed for that dashing speculator some of the 

 largest commissions ever entrusted to an agent. For 

 instance, when Miss Elis won the Goodwood Cup, Lord 

 George Bentinck's claim was ^17,000, every penny of 

 which was collected by Hill, while at the same time he 

 landed a good sum for himself. At Newmarket, when 

 given the Gaper commission for the Derby, within two 

 hours he got on for his lordship ^46,000, and this sum 

 before many days were over he increased to ;^ 100,000. 

 This brought Gaper to 5 to i, and so anxious was Lord 

 George to win that he was heard to say, " Egad ! I'd feed 

 Gaper on gold from henceforth if that would ensure his 

 victory." Gaper, however, came in fourth; but his owner's 

 losses were not heavy, as, by John Scott's persuasion, he 



