1 86 Silk and Scarlet, 



considerably above a thousand each. Edwards had 

 learnt from his experience of the Web family, that 

 they could always run big. He was wont to say of 

 them — " Thcfre as fat as pigs : if I tvork them tzvo 

 days together y they re lame ; and if tJieir bellies brush 

 the ground, they're so good they'll get thi'oughr Nearly 

 all the Cobwebs had navicular disease, which she in- 

 herited from Soothsayer ; but still she imparted to 

 them, as a counterpoise, that clear-winded Arab attri- 

 bute which came to her through Phantom from Sir 

 Charles Bunbury's smart Whiskey tribe. Web and 

 her daughter, Filagree, had each thrown an Epsom 

 winner to Phantom ; and it now became the grand- 

 daughter's turn to cap them both with Bay Mid- 

 dleton. 

 t3 A/r vi^i . This distinguished horse was a most 



Bay Middleton. , => . 



irantic subject to begm with ; and be- 

 came so bad, that when Lord Jersey met Robinson 

 by chance in London, in the February of his Derby 

 year, he begged him, as an especial favour, to go back 

 and ride him. Jim accordingly booked himself by 

 " The Magnet," and knocked up Edwards immediately 

 on his arrival. He put his night-capped head forth 

 from his lattice, and said — " Oh, dear ! Fm so glad 

 you've come, Hes bolted with everybody. We'll gallop 

 at the Cambridge Gap in the morning!' Before mount- 

 ing, Robinson had some fearful admonitions from 

 " Paddy Carey," as the head boy was called. He 

 asked him to stick to his head for a minute, till he 

 was settled in the saddle; but — '' My flesh! I'd better 

 hold the hack — we'll be all killed together',' was his 

 prompt counter-proposition, and he let him go almost 

 before Jim had time to lick his fingers. 



In his first canter, he went very uneasily, as the 

 martingale was far too short, and tearing at the girths. 

 *' My Flesh" was then called to let it out or take it off; 

 and when, by a series of nervous dashes, he had suc- 

 ceeded in partially doing the latter, the horse trod 



