SOME LATTER-DAY PENCILLERS 33 



a game of " follow my leader " on horseback, whichever 

 failed to follow to lose the match. It would have been a 

 break-neck race, for Jackson had six hunters up at Barton 

 at the time ; among them his celebrated Barney, with 

 whom he had jumped a flight of double posts and rails 

 (i6 ft, measured from the inside) with the Bedale. Sir 

 Frederick had just leapt a mill-dam in the Burton country, 

 so the probability is that one at least would have been 

 brought home on a stretcher. George Payne was to be 

 umpire ; but somehow the match fell through, to the great 

 relief of the friends of both parties. 



Jackson cared far more for sport than for lucre. When 

 he had backed Lord Zetland's Vedette for the Two 

 Thousand of 1857, the son of Voltigeur was so shaky on 

 the pins and so frequently reported lame that he dared 

 not stand the money. A friend laid it all off him, and 

 Jackson stood to win heavily against Vedette. To his 

 surprise, the horse won in a canter ; but when he saw the 

 " spots " ^ coming in ahead of everything, the big-hearted 

 Yorkshireman raised a mighty shout and went up and 

 patted the winner as proudly as if he had won a hatful of 

 money instead of being some thousands to the bad. 



Of Jackson's generosity no man can speak so well as 

 Steel, the " Sheffield Leviathan," for that bookmaker owed 

 his prosperity to Jock o' Fairfield. The two met at 

 Doncaster. Jackson was walking beside one of his horses 

 just before a race when Steel went up to him and asked 

 if the horse would win. " Yes," said Jackson ; " back it." 

 The Sheffielder did so, and presented his benefactor with 

 a handsome case of razors bearing a suitable inscription. 

 Jackson was so pleased with this " delicate attention " that 

 he advised Steel to " give up backing and take to laying," at 

 the same time generously offering him ^500 to start with. 

 Steel accepted the offer, and from that moment dates the 

 foundation of his colossal fortune. To the day of Jackson's 

 death the two continued fast friends. 



That event took place all too early. Jackson had 

 entered the sporting world with the constitution of a horse, 

 but the pace he went soon wore out his natural vigour. I 



^ The Marquis of Zetland's colours are white, red spots and cap. 



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