Jockeys, 123 



fixed, he had to return with the halter in his hand ; 

 and as Croft reported that the colt had gone rather 

 better in his last gallop, Bill got orders to dress for 

 him. A deep fall of snow threatened at one time to 

 bring the meeting to a close ; but Mr. Ferguson 

 promptly drove a flock of sheep three or four times 

 round the course, and contrived to satisfy the trainers. 

 Pierse, wide awake as usual, got the '' trod," and 

 threw such slush into Bill's eyes that at times he was 

 almost blind. Still he never came till the right mo- 

 ment , and a magnificently ridden race on both sides 

 sent the fielders into ecstasies, and sealed the fame " of 

 the boy in yellow." Bill was then, as ever, a creeper ; 

 fond, as he said, of " making play behind ;" never 

 busy till after the distance ; " lenienf in his seat, 

 though not with his whalebone, and rather low and 

 wide in his set-to. 



Catterick also was the scene of Temple- sim Temple- 

 man's maiden win three or four years "^^"• 

 after Bill had taken his degree in its oblong meadows. 

 Sim, who was long the stay of old Sykes, first rode 

 Unity, in 18 19, at Malton and Grimsby ; but no wel- 

 come (i) was printed after his name for two seasons 

 till he scaled-in for Wanton by Woful, on whom he 

 shortly after defeated both Elizabeth and Lottery. 

 Catterick has always been a favourite ground with 

 him, and connected more especially with the chocolate 

 jacket of the Duke of Leeds. It was on one of his shoot- 

 ing excursions to Hornby Castle that he dreamt that 

 he won the Claret Stakes at Catterick on a grey. The 

 next grey (Vertumnus), which the Duke bred was ac- 

 cordingly entered ; and although the incident had not 

 been mentioned for many months, the first voice Sim 

 heard, as he rode back to scale, was that of the Duke 

 by the side of the cords, " Simt do you remember your 

 dream f It was there, too, that he thougJit he was 

 dreaming, when the Duke slyly handed him The York 

 Herald, with his finger on a paragraph, headed " Noiel 



