40 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



Lead out of window to make sure it wasn't ^' Portsmouth 

 already." 



"Not a Lit !" I answered, '' g'o on witL the running' — 

 I'm AvatcLing' it." 



^^ Well, sir, on Le went, and I after Lim, tLoug-L 111 

 own I didn't know exactly m}^ own mind — wLetLer there 

 was any understanding or wLat I oug-lit to do. At any 

 rate, I said to myself, I don't see wliy we should ride our 

 horses' Leads otfj and wLen Le does g-o fastei', wLy I 

 tliink I can g-o as fast as Le can. So on we kept, Lardly 

 getting" out of tLe canter ; and as we went up tLe ropes 

 tLe first time the folks were all holloing- ' That's right, 

 Blue Jacket ! stick to him !' and I felt it was allrig'ht, too. 

 But confound the fellow ! I didn't stick to him either, 

 as you'll see. Just ahout a quarter of a mile from home, 

 or rather more, was the last turn — a little sLarpisL, into 

 straig-lit running- ; and as we were coming- to it, I tLougLt 

 to myself, it's time to put tLe steam on a little now 

 surely, wLen — Bang I I never see sucL a tiling- in my 

 life ! — Le'd slipped tLe Lord knows Low far away from me, 

 all in a moment, and was working away at tLe one-eyed- 

 'un like winking- to make more of it. TLe old devil ! too, 

 was as g*ame as a flint, and answered every dig like a 

 g'ood-'un, and spite all tLe botlier I made on tlie 

 little mare, I never caug-Lt Lim ag-ain, tliougL we Lad a 

 terrible fliglit for it as it was. A few strides more and I 

 must Lave won. 



^* Well, I Lardly ever saw sucL a row as tliere was after- 

 wards ; some swearing- I'd sold tlie race, and tLreatening- 

 to duck me ; otLers laug-Ling, saying- Le'd been too mucL 

 for me, and asking- why I didn't ride in a wide- awake, 

 and so on. But the g-entlemen looked precious g-lum ; 

 while, as for me, I could have torn my eyes out, 'specially 



