164 EACECOUESE AND COVERT RTDE. 



but eminently expressive of my feelings on the 

 subject. I was a very different-looking animal 

 then, I can tell you. I had a coat to be proud 

 of, and a groom who used to brush and smooth it, 

 until it shone like — no, not like satin ; for when 

 did you ever see satin with the glossy sheen of a 

 thorough- bred horse's coat? Shall I tell you 

 about my first race at Newmarket ? Jack 

 Travers, a great friend of mine, was to ride, and 

 lots depended on his winning, for his master had 

 put a pony on for him, and if he pulled it off he 

 would be able to marry pretty little Susan, the 

 trainer's daughter. That was a great day when 

 first I saw the racecourse lined on each side by a 

 dense throng of unknown faces ; and I must 

 confess to having felt just a little bit scared at 

 first ; but when I heard Jack's encouraging 

 voice, and felt his light hand on the bridle, I 

 knew it was all right. Ah, how well we know 

 the touch of a rider's hand on the reins, and the 

 feel of his legs against our sides ! Yes, he got 

 his money and his wife — won in a canter by 

 three lengths. Did I run for the Derby ? No. 

 I was entered, and backed at the long odds ; but 

 a splint began to show, and — and then my 

 painful recollections commence. A little hunt- 

 ing, a little steeplechasing — I shall never forget 

 the day I first broke down. Then I was patched 



