262 MR. SWINDELL. 



clever party, Mr. Atkins, his owner, assisted by his 

 astute trainer, managed that the failing should not be 

 detected. They went further, and even invited people 

 down to see the amount of work the horse was 

 doing, and the gallant way in which he was doing it. 

 It was dodged in this way, I am told. He used to be 

 galloped round a hill, about half or three-quarters of 

 a mile, whereas the real or farther course, which he was 

 always supposed to go, was a mile longer, making the 

 supposed gallop a mile and three-quarters. The hill, 

 I understand, excluded any view of the horses except 

 at the start and finish; and as the horse always went 

 the shorter course, he was always credited with doing 

 it very quickly, and always pulled up exceedingly 

 sound and well ; and to further prevent the chance of 

 suspicion falling on him, he was galloped with a horse 

 well known to be a confirmed roarer. This deception 

 they managed to keep up so long as there was a shilling 

 to be got out of the horse by laying against him, 

 when the bubble burst, and he was struck out of the 

 race. 



Later in life, Mr. Swindell showed his shrewdness 

 and sagacity in detecting and partly preventing a 

 great swindle, of which a friend was the intended 

 victim. Two wretched knaves, betting-men, aided 

 and abetted by an ignorant but subtle trainer, in the 

 shape of a lately turned-off stable boy as wicked and 

 contemptible as themselves, Avere the intriguers. The 

 names, though well known, I refrain from giving, as 



