1 1 4 The Post and the Paddock. 



Wildair in more rectnt days. He cared but little what 

 price he gave for racers. Jour-de-Noces came into 

 his hands at 1500 guineas, and 1500 guineas more 

 if he won the St. Leger ; and a 3000 guinea cheque, 

 with contingencies, would soon have found its way 

 into Colonel King's bank, if he would only have sold 

 Bessy Bedlam before the St. Leger, for which she 

 was beaten off at the Red House. When that race 

 was over, his affections had veered towards Fleur-de- 

 lis, and thus Bessy lived and died in her native Lin- 

 colnshire. The Colonel (whose colt out of Fleur-de-lis 

 hardly lived two hours) was his most expensive pur- 

 chase ; but 4000 guineas did not stand in his way 

 when he was determined to win the Ascot Cup, and 

 present it to the pride of nis court. Zinganee was, 

 however, destined to foil him, and Lord Chesterfield, 

 who had made an ofTer for the horse after he had 

 won the Oatlands on the Tuesday, not only men- 

 tioned the negotiation to him at the Castle that even- 

 ing, bvit gracefully expressed his readiness to break 

 it off, and not be in any way the instrument of de- 

 priving him of a trophy on which he had evidently 

 set his heart ^^ My dear Chesterfield, never mhid T 

 was the frank, jovial answer — ** buy the CJufneys' 

 horse by all means ; if yott don't beat me zvith him, Gidly 

 will ; and I don't mind being beaten by youl' The 

 purchase was accordingly made, and as the Chifneys 

 predicted, The Colonel could not live the pace, which 

 became very strong, when Sam '* sent out " Zinganee 

 in the last half-mile ; and we may observe how truly 

 the second place of Mr. Gully's Mameluke bore out 

 the King's after-dinner prophecy. After a very poor 

 career in Lord Chesterfield's hands, Zinganee even- 

 tually became the King's property, for, it was said, 

 2500 guineas ; but he was too ill to see him run for 

 the Ascot Cup in the following year. Lord Dar- 

 lington had nothing in it ; and Sam Chifney received 

 a message from the King that he was to settle 



