AND OTHER SKETCHES 99 



THE RAVEN DROPPED BY THE WAY. 



It was away back early in the 70 's that the story I am 

 telling eventuated, and the three parties more particu- 

 larly interested were the Hon. C. I. Douglas, Major Peel 

 and Mr. Joe Grand. "Uncle" Joe has joined the major- 

 ity, Douglas is domiciled in London, and Peel is living 

 retired in Sussex. At the time I speak of these three 

 were part owners in the black horse Raven, a very fair 

 performer, but a brute of rather uncertain temperament. 

 If he felt 0. K. and nothing occurred to disturb his 

 equanimity, it would take quite a flyer to beat him any 

 distance up to two miles, but let anything happen to sour 

 him and he could outsulk a Mexican mule. 



The horse, however, had been running kindly for some 

 little time, and it was determined to take him up to the 

 Waterloo meeting and enter him in a dash of two miles 

 that was advertised on their programme. At that time 

 there were two or three good long-distance performers 

 around, and the three gentlemen mentioned, confident 

 that Raven had showed them a trial good enough to take 

 them all into camp, determined to back him well and scoop 

 the box. 



The night before the day of the race the pool-seller 

 started in, and a good bit of business was done on the 

 two-mile dash, with the black horse sometimes a second 

 and at other times a third choice. Major Peel was doing 

 the business for the party, and when the box was closed 

 for the night the trio had secured about every pool on 

 Raven and stood to win quite a large pot of money. 



Next day at the track, finding their horse in good form, 

 they again sailed in, and so persistently did they stick 

 to their representative that by the sheer force of their 

 money thev finallv forced him to the front, and when the 



