Silk 87 



Pavilion, with Sam Chifney up, was the first to canter; 

 and then Buckle, in his white and crimson sleeves, on 

 the lengthy yellow bay Sancho ; but even the know- 

 ledge that his owner, who led him down the course, 

 had backed him to win 20,000/., did not dispirit the 

 layers of 6 to 4 on his old Raby conqueror. The 

 result of the first match over Lewes had made them 

 equally wild to back Sancho ; but he had hit his kg 

 at exercise a few days before, and this was the only 

 chance of saving their money. The odds, however, 

 quickly fell to 5 to I as Sancho went up to his oppo- 

 nent's quarters in the last mile, and commanded him 

 from that point till his leg gave way within the dis- 

 tance. Such trifles did not weigh very long on a phi- 

 losophic mind like the Colonel's. He lunched at The 

 Star with the Royal party as calmly as if he had been 

 losing mere three-penny points at whist, and at day- 

 break was seen entreating Mr. Howarth, who had 

 stripped to the buff to prevent his clothes getting into 

 the wound, to shake hands after one shot, and dress 

 himself once more. 



About this culminating period of his The Betting of 

 fortunes Mellish never opened his mouth ^^^^ Period. 

 under 500/. in the Ring, and the southern division 

 caught the betting infection. Even old Elwes was 

 known to eat nothing all day but a piece of crushed 

 pancake, (which had been made at Marcham, two 

 months before, and which he would persist in styling 

 " as good as new,)" and yet to stand 7000/. for Lord 

 Abingdon on one match ; and the Sporting Magazine 

 could write, two months previous to the Fyldener St. 

 Leger, 1806, "There is little doubt that upwards of 

 one milHon of guineas has already been laid." The 

 Northern betting, however, was very slack 'n compari- 

 son with Newmarket. The men who clustered on the 

 distance post side of the Stand at York thought 10/. 

 a great venture, and an even 50/. between Lord Scar- 

 bro' and Mr. Garforth on that two-year-old or " Paddy 



