Rugby Days. 75 



Cigar, Gaylad and Vivian, the Switcher 

 and Lottery, finishing, after four miles 

 across country, at Worcester, Newport 

 Pagnell, or St. Albans. It will be readily 

 understood that there was no lack of 

 Rugby boys with a decided turn for horse- 

 racing and cross country sports, and Judge 

 Hughes refers specially to one boy who 

 was with him at the School-house, and 

 who was notorious for boasting about his 

 horsemanship. This young braggart of- 

 fered to ride against any other boy over 

 four miles of fair hunting country, and at 

 last was taken up by Mr. Uvedale Corbett, 

 who is now a well-known Cheshire squire. 

 Mr. Corbett chose for his mount a chestnut 

 horse famous for his jumping powers, who 

 belonged to a Rugby inn-keeper named 

 Chater. The challenger had to put up 

 with a bay horse, the property of another 

 publican, who was known to be very fast, 

 but an uncertain fencer. The race came 

 off before a select circle of boys " in the 

 know," with the result that the challenger 

 was beaten, to his own infinite mortification. 

 He attributed his defeat to the vast superior- 

 ity of Chater's horse ; whereupon Corbett 



