i8o The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



bring this incident up," I suggested, " and then say how 

 unfortunate it would be if any of our horses turned out to 

 be improperly described. Then we can propose to go and 

 look at them. We can begin with yours, Davies, and 

 then come here." 



The idea was approved of and promptly carried out. 

 Davies skilfully introduced the subject, and the trainer so 

 eagerly caught at it, in such an unembarrassed way, that 

 we were staggered in our belief of his complicity in a 

 fraud. 



When we reached Davies's stable, Everett, his very 

 clever trainer-jockey, was just giving them their evening 

 feed, and his look of surprise, when we said we had come 

 to look at their mouths, remains in my mind as vividly as 

 ever. However, when he was reminded of the recent 

 disqualification and " warning off," he took great interest 

 in the proceedings. The horses were soon gone through 

 and found to be all right, and then we started off for the 

 Portuguese stable. Just before leaving, Davies said in a 

 very low voice to Everett, " Meysey-Thompson has just 

 ■ found out that ' Perchance ' is five years old instead of 

 four years. Do you think they know anything about it ? " 

 The look of keen intelligence that swept across his face 

 struck me as one of the most remarkable that I ever saw. 

 " No," he replied, after a moment's thought, " I hardly think 

 they do, but one can never tell." On arriving at the other 

 stable we first inspected " Gigante." " All right, four 

 years," was the verdict. The next horse to come out was 

 " Perchance." The instant the trainer opened his mouth 

 a shock seemed to strike him, and dropping the horse's 

 jaw, he turned to us with a scared look, exclaiming : " Oh, 

 gracious ! I knew nothing of it." " Why," what is the 



