6o Silk and Scarlet, 



common silent pair. Mr. Edge very seldom spoke 

 unless Mr. Smith said something to him ; Mr. Smith 

 never let him have more than a pint of port a day, 

 he said he'd get too fat. I never saw him less than 

 eighteen stone yet ; he used to pound away on that 

 great big horse of his, Gayman ; queer-looking crea- 

 ture it was ; thin neck, large head, raw hips, and a rat 

 tail ; for all the world like a great seventeen hand 

 dog-horse. You couldn't get your hands between his 

 front legs, he had always boots on. They had a tre- 

 mendously good thing from Botany Bay, without 

 touching the Coplow, and killed a field off the cover 

 at Schlawson Windmill ; thirteen miles in all. Mr. 

 Smith was riding Gadesby and Mr. Edge was on Gay- 

 man. There were only those two, and Mr. Greene on 

 Sysonby, and Fryatt of Melton, him that had Cannon 

 Ball, on Hastings, up. Mr. Smith pulls his watch out, 

 and it was nearly five minutes before any more come 

 Lord Plymouth's up. Lord Plymouth bought Hastings 

 Cracks. from Fryatt, for 300 guineas, next day ; 

 all through that Botany Bay run. Fryatt would have 

 taken 120 guineas, and been glad of it, going to cover. 

 His lordship never could ride 'em when he had got 

 them ; that was my job ; he could hardly get Hast- 

 ings over a fence. Fancy and Zigzag were two of 

 the best he ever had ; they were so well-known, the 

 Melton children called chairs in the nursery after 

 them ; and kep on riding them like mad. Fancy was 

 a rich brown : he gave 600 gs. for her, to Mr. Peter 

 AUix. Zigzag was a chestnut, much stouter. A mare 

 of Lord Rancliffe's, called Shade, was as sweet a thing 

 as ever I saw ; all over a blood bay ; I rode her a 

 steeple-chase at Cheltenham. I broke nearly as 

 handsome a one, a black un, this year, for Mr. Wright 

 of Ratcliffe. 



Mr. Gurney tak- Mr. Edge could have licked Mr. Cur- 

 ing the Water, ^ey and Sober Robin. They were both 

 going at one time ; it would be same country, and 



