38 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



deep-file to ride — a little quiet^ civil, tea-drinking" fellow, 

 who called himself a gentleman-rider, but that nobody 

 ever looked on as a gentleman still. He didn't seem to 

 consider it so hisself, except when he had the cap and 

 jacket on. However, you may be sure he was all right 

 too — and so, away we went for the first heat. 



" Well, the gentlemen said I wasn't to run for this, but 

 to wait and see what the others was made oif. The little 

 chap on the one-eye'd-'un was to find this out too, but he 

 went a very different way to work — ramming the spurs 

 into Cheap Jack, as they called him, and going hard at 

 it right away from the post. But I could have caught 

 him still, if I had liked, for the little mare was pulHng 

 my arms off ; and when he looked round at me once, I 

 had a very good mind to go in at him. However, I didn't 

 — and so on he went, and won easy — so they said, though 

 his horse blew a smartish bit when he brought him back. 

 The next heat it was my turn, and away I went, and he 

 waited ; and as one of the others was fairly distanced, 

 another pulled up, and the third quite satisfied, we was 

 left to have the last heat all to ourselves. Well, the 

 gentlemen began to make quite sure now, and kept offer- 

 ing two and three to one against the other one ; but 

 old Cahco and his party weren't half so bumptious as 

 usual, and didn't seem to care about betting at all. So 

 at last I got up for the '* Who shall ?" as proud as a pea- 

 cock almost, for all the people kept saying, as I walked 

 her down, ' Bravo, little May-Flower !' * Well done, 

 Blue Jacket !' and 'Well done. Master Stephen !' There 

 was a goodish way to walk down for the start, and I 

 had'nt got far before Mister comes trotting up to me on 

 Cheap Jack, and smiling, and looking as civil as could be — 



^' * That's, a neatish mare you have got there,' he says 



