30 Silk and Scarlet. 



up, and he never offers to jump the fence, but he rides 

 up the lane to meet him ; touch him was half the 

 bet — a hundred touch, and a hundred win. When 

 they met. Captain Ross began to dodge ; quite laugh- 

 able, just like two boys at play ; and Mr. Gilmour, he 

 just catches him a tap on the hat with his hunting- 

 whip. Then they started fresh out of the lane, and 

 the Captain won by thirty yards. Plunder ran in that 

 Noseley Wood steeple-chase Field Nicholson won ; 

 that were how the other match come on. The Cap- 

 tain was a poor hand across country, without some 

 one to lead him ; couldn't make his own running no- 

 how, but go anywhere any one else went ; a bold man 

 and a good creature he was too. He gave me lOO/. 

 when Clinker beat Radical ; Captain Douglas was on 

 him that journey ; I was pilot for him ; it was from 

 Barkby Holt to Billesdon Coplow. 

 Cover-side Plea- The gentlemen used to be always a 



santries. gammoning on with me at the covert 

 side, some way or other, blame me ; Sir James, and 

 all of them. They'd get me to say something of one 

 or another of them, and then they'd go and say, slap 

 out, " What d^ye think Dick's been saying of you f or 

 ''your horse V and then there'd be such a laugh. 

 Deary me, what cheerful times them were ! Captain 

 White in partikler was always on that way ; when he 

 was behind me in a run, I'd hear him ; such a laugh 

 he had ; " TJiere goes Dick ! down again ! Haw, 

 haw ! What ? down again, Veteran ! " That was 

 his manner exact. " It's nothing when you're used to 

 it," that's what I always gave 'em back again on them 

 occasions ; you'll see it at the bottom of one of those 

 pictures, where I'm tumbling. They would still ask 

 me how I felt with a horse on top of me. Gentlemen 



Riding Old gets falls very bad ; you see they're gene- 

 Horses, rally on old horses ; the old uns fall like 

 a clot ; if they get into difficulties, blame me, they 

 won't try to get out ; they will do that when they get 



