384 RACING CAREER OF SIR W. H. GREGORY. 



ing his cap, would remark, ' We shall have a sure 

 find to-night, Colonel, if convenient to you to 

 come.' Not much difficulty was generally expe- 

 rienced about getting ' the Colonel ' and all of us 

 to acquiesce. Accompanied by a professional rat- 

 catcher, plentifully supplied with ferrets, and with 

 several terriers at his heels, Nat led the way. 

 Scarcely were the ferrets turned into the ricks 

 before the rats came tumbling out, and men and 

 dogs were soon engaged in hot pursuit. One 

 afternoon Tommy Gardnor was standing under- 

 neath the rick with his mouth wide open, when 

 a huge rat jumped down, and fell upon the gaping 

 orifice. 'Bless my soul. Captain,' exclaimed Nat, 

 ' I thought it was old Squire Thornhill jumping 

 down your throat ! ' After dinner we used to 

 recount our exploits to the old Duke of Rutland, 

 whom Colonel Peel treated with a mock gravity 

 which it was impossible to witness without a 

 painful effort to repress one's own laughter. His 

 Grace took much interest in our sport, exclaiming, 

 ' I am deeply indebted to you, gentlemen, and to 

 Flatman, your fugleman, for extirpating the rats, 

 which were destroying my ricks.' He would not, 

 probably, have been so grateful had he been aware 

 that one day I asked Nat how he found out the 

 stacks which were most infested with vermin. 

 ' Between you and me, sir,' he replied, ' there is 

 not much difficulty about it. After the Second 

 Spring Meeting I turn down a few rats to stock 



