42 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



about not wearing out our liorses, as it didn't matter 

 which won if we only had a good understanding between 

 ourselves.' 



'' ' Indeed !' says he, a-pulling away at his cigar, and 

 speaking between his teeth, ^ what tlien ? what do you 

 want then ? ' 



" ' Why half, of course/ I answers, a little riled at the 

 way he was going on. 



'^ ^ ! you do, do you ?" says he, bursting out laugh- 

 ing. ^ You are a nice man, you are ! And what for, I 

 should like to know V 



** ^What for! why hang it, you knovv' I • could have 

 won if I'd liked!" 



i( c "What ! you lost on purpose, eh ? — to get half 

 when you might have had it all, eh? Well, that's a 

 good one certainly, and very well tried on too ; but 

 it won't do here, my friend ! Lost the race on purpose, 

 eh ?' and then he laughed again as if he had never heard 

 of such a thing in his life, and the very notion rather 

 tickled him. 



" Well, I naturally got more savage at this, thi^eatened 

 to pitch into him, show him up, and so on ; when, just as 

 we was getting noisy, he pulls the cigar out of his mouth, 

 and says, as cool as a cucumber, but as fierce as blazes 

 still— 



^^ ^ Now look here, young gentleman ! if you want a 

 row, /'ve no objection ; but if I understand you correctly 

 your argument is, that you lost a race on purpose, and 

 want to he j)ciid fur doing so — eh? Is this the showing 

 up you talk of ? If so, go on ; but as a man of the world, 

 I shoidd advise you not. It's a very good plant, I admit ; 

 but it won't do, I tell you ; and as you may have a bit of 

 a character here, it may be as well to keep it, eh ? If 



