Mr. Bowes and his Trainer. 255 



420 acres have been taken at one slice out of the Wold. 

 Still there is a large portion left, a sort of mixture ol 

 hill and valley, with abundance of thorn trees and 

 Leicester sheep. The tan gallop is laid out in the 

 most intricate fashion, along the bottom of the valley, 

 in order to eke out distance ; but when some critical 

 curves have been slipped round, there is a long strid- 

 ing reach up-hill of fully a mile. The farming man, 

 who harrows over the tan every morning, had just 

 unyoked his horses when we arrived, and the White- 

 wall lot were to be seen quietly walking over the brow 

 of the hill, with Jem Perren on his bay pony in 

 attendance. Mr. Scott soon arrived in his fly, which 

 the old grey, that Doncaster knows well, draws no 

 longer. 



Not long before this Mr. Bowes was by his trainer's 

 side on two successive mornings, and the veteran may 

 well be proud, in these petty days of chop and change, 

 to think that he has now trained for that " approved 

 good master" for nearly forty seasons, and that they 

 have never had the shadow of a misunderstanding. 

 Four Derbies, a couple of Two Thousands, and one 

 St. Leger, with Mundig, Meteor, Cotherstone, Daniel 

 O'Rourke, and West Australian, have formed but a 

 small portion of their spoils, and yet Isaac Walker, 

 the Streatlam Castle stud-groom, has seldom arrived 

 each September with more than four yearlings " for 

 school." Mr. Bowes very rarely goes to a race, and 

 we believe that Fordham, who has so often worn his 

 black and gold of late years, does not even know him 

 by sight. 



Before work begins another fly drives up, and a 

 well-favoured " special commissioner," in a grey coat 

 and crush hat, steps forth on to the sward, and goes 

 to pay his respects to Mr. Scott. He is here en route 

 from Middleham, where Pretender has had his best 

 p.ttention, and he brings a glowing account of the 

 chances of "Johnny" and the blue and silver braid. 



