92 SPORTING STORIES 



plenty of work. The first performance that brought him 

 into notoriety was riding Harlequin in a hurdle-race at 

 Clifton. Perhaps a finer contest of the kind was never 

 witnessed, since he had for competitors that grand sports- 

 man Captain Beecher on his famous Sir Peter, while the 

 celebrated jockey Powell was on another noted horse of 

 the day, named Pennyweight. It was a tremendous 

 struggle, but, to the surprise of everyone, Olliver won each 

 heat by a head. After this he went over to Leamington, 

 and engaged with Sir Edward Mostyn at i^ioo a year and 

 expenses for first call ; but no sooner was he in full swing 

 than, with his usual luck, he had a bad fall and broke his 

 collar-bone. 



Tom next entered into partnership with Curie wis, for whom 

 he rode Paddy Carey, Bodice, and The Greyling; but the 

 speculation failed, and plunged him head over ears in debt. 



He became in immense request among sheriffs' officers 

 in consequence of the number of his autographs that were 

 floating about the country ; indeed, so numerous did the 

 writs become at last, that, to save the trouble of writing, 

 it was proposed to lithograph his name. Tom, however, 

 was difficult to catch; he was continually shifting his 

 quarters, and he had a little grey pony which, he averred, 

 could smell a writ a mile off, and always started away at 

 full gallop at the sight of a "bum." He was once asked 

 when he rode best. " Well, you see," he answered, " when 

 you've got the traps in your house, and the ' bums ' after 

 you, and you say to yourself, within three fields of home, 

 ' If my nut is screwed on a little better than those other 

 beggars', and I can beat 'em, how pleased my poor wife and 

 kids will be,' that makes me ride." 



When Tom Olliver rode his celebrated match on The 

 Greyling against Alan Macdonough on Cigar, the moment 

 he appeared upon the course he was tapped upon the 

 shoulder. It was his last chance. " Let me ride, and I'll 

 stand a couple of quid and surrender myself the moment 

 the race is finished," he said to the Sheriffs ofificer. The 

 latter was a good-hearted fellow, and consented. These 

 were certainly unpleasant circumstances under which to 

 ride a steeplechase — enough to shake any man's nerve. 



