58 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



land urged me not to apply for the post of private 

 trainer to Mr. Savile. " I shall," he said, " be 

 able to find you a berth presently.** I was 

 content to abide by his advice, and within a 

 very short time discovered that I had done wisely. 

 George Manning, who had been training for Sir 

 Joseph Hawley at Cannon Heath, near Kings- 

 clere, died in 1863, after a long illness. Lord 

 Westmoreland had this pending event in mind 

 when he told me to wait. It was the month of 

 July, and I had to pass through London with the 

 horses we were running at Liverpool. Lord 

 Westmoreland gave me a letter of recommenda- 

 tion to Sir Joseph, and told me to present it to 

 him at his town house, 34 Eaton Place. I 

 called at that address, and was taken to Sir 

 Joseph. After he had read the letter I handed 

 to him he looked at me and said, in a tone that 

 implied incredulity : 



" You are not the John Porter mentioned 

 here, are you ? '* ** Yes, sir, I am,** I replied. 

 " But you are only a boy! ** " Give me a chance. 

 Sir Joseph. I think I can manage the horses.** 

 ** Call and see me on your way back from Liver- 

 pool,** said Sir Joseph, as he dismissed me. 



And away I went, feeling that what Lord 

 Westmoreland had written in his letter had 

 carried considerable weight. Only a boy I Yes, 

 that was what my appearance suggested. I 

 looked about eighteen, but was, in fact, twenty- 



