Dick Christian again, 9 



This is Kettleby. You see this public, the Sugar 

 Loaf — it was my walking ground. Gad! it made 

 me puff up these hills, Many's the j^^^^^^^^^^j^^ 

 time I've done it with three stone of 

 clothes on my back ; going into Melton so beat. I 

 had a drop of warm gin-and-water in here, and then 

 off back again. I walked hard for Clinker, not so 

 much to get off flesh as to keep in wind. I could do 

 it like nothing then. I often got off 4 or 5 lbs. in a 

 walk. The gentlemen used to be all along this road 

 before Croxton Park. Captain White was a grand 

 walker. " Sharpish work for me, old boy, this morn- 

 ing',' he used to say when I meets him. They didn't 

 like that muzzling work. Sir Harry Goodricke and 

 me was in training three weeks for that match with 

 Mr. Osbaldeston, which never come off ; he'd not have 

 rode less than thirteen, saddle and all together ; stout, 

 fine-made fellow ; always took a deal of exercise, or 

 he'd have been very lusty. 



I've done a good deal of wasting ; hot and its sugges- 

 weather, hot liquor ; heat agin heat, as t^^^^- 

 long as ever you live ; in hot weather gin-and-water, 

 strong as blazes, as hot as ever you can ; I've ex- 

 perienced it. I once kept to nothing but gin and 

 gingerbread for a whole week to get to my weight. 

 That steeple-chase come off close against steeple Chasing. 

 London. Beecher won on Eliza, and 

 Jem Mason was second ; and Grimaldi beat off. I 

 rode Caliph again at Ross. I hurt my hand ; you 

 see the mark there to this day. That all comes of 

 trying a four-pound saddle. I was in dreadful pain, 

 but they ties it up, and I comes out to ride Bones 

 for the next race. General Gilbert was the starter. 

 You see, he knew me so well. So I says to him, 

 quietly, " General ! give us an item." Just as he 

 drops the flag, I kept a watching of him, and he tips 

 me the wink, and I jumps off with a thundering good 

 start. It was twice round, but they never fairly 



