igo The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



be very game in a close finish, I took up my whip and 

 " threatened " " Solitario," taking care that each time I 

 raised the whip it almost touched " Perchance's " nose. As 

 I expected, up went his head, he changed his legs, and 

 dropped back out of sight. There were still 200 yards 

 before the winning post was reached, and " driving " 

 " Solitario " to his utmost speed, we made the best of our 

 way to get there first. Adams got " Perchance " steadied, 

 and again the grey nose came nearer and nearer, but in 

 exactly the same place as before. History repeats itself, 

 and so did my tactics ; again the head went up, the stride 

 was changed, " Perchance " dropped back, and " Solitario " 

 won the King's Prize by a length, with " The Gift " third 

 half a length behind. The latter's jockey complained 

 bitterly of the use I had made of him at the time, and 

 talked of objecting. He had no grounds to go upon though, 

 and I soon put an end to his grumbling by carrying the 

 war into the enemy's country, and accused him of trying to 

 ride me inside the turning posts. 



Poor " Perchance." It was hard upon him to dis- 

 qualify him for all the races he had won on one day, and 

 then to snatch the King's Prize from him on the next. 



The day after the meeting was over, I rode out with 

 my host, Mr. H. Davies, to see the Ptoyal stallions, which, 

 to the number of eighty, had just come in from the 

 country districts, where they had been quartered during 

 the summer. On the way I said to him, "Would you 

 like to know about the King's Prize the other day ? " 

 " Indeed, I should," he replied ; " for we have been quite 

 puzzled over it. Everett was certain that he would win, 

 for he thought he had quite 7 lb. in hand at Seville," 

 "■ That is just what we thought we had to spare," was 



