30 Saddle and Sirloin. 



he had nearly as many " reconciliations" with him as 

 Tom Sayers had with Heenan at the Alhambra ; but 

 he could never quite forgive John Scott for "leaving 

 him alone so severely," when, in his thirst for con- 

 troversy about his colt General Peel, he shot quite a 

 sheaf of arrows at Whitewall. 



Above all things he hated naming his horses, and 

 preferred to leave the public — which never really took 

 any trouble in the matter, as it dare not back one out 

 of fifty on its merits — to grope helplessly among the 

 Miss Whip, Physalis, or dam by Gameboy sorts, from 

 which sprang the noble race of Flutter and " the 

 tight'uns by Barbatus." It had been the self- 

 same story in earlier days, with Jerry, Retainer, 

 Albany, and Retriever. Half the evenings at the 

 Club, when Lord Derby led the revels, with the 

 Earl of Strafford, General Peel, Admiral Rous, Mr. 

 Greville, and Mr. Payne — friends who could always 

 touch the right chord in that testy old Scot — were 

 spent in trying to name his horses for him. Getting 

 the " royal assent" was the real difficulty, and once 

 "the rich relics of" what promised to be "a well- 

 spent hour" only resulted in the registration with 

 Messrs. Weatherby of " He has a name," and " Give 

 him a name." The Black Duck Stakes of iooo, h-ft, 

 jumped so much with his humour, that "The Drake," 

 and " The White Duck" — which had a double aspect, 

 bearing on the above stake and his own seafaring 

 trousers as well — were readily adopted ; but " Light 

 Bob," by Voltigeur, was hardly expected of him, 

 except, perhaps, in the light of a cut at the rival pro- 

 fession. Tom Bowline, one of the few yearlings he 

 ever bought, came to his hand at the hammer ready 

 named, and there were melting moments when he 

 could not resist the offers of his friends to be sponsors 

 for his best. " Knowsley" was but due to the genial 

 Earl who had made many a match with him in his 

 day ; " Strafford" and " General Peel," might well 



