1 78 The Post and the Paddock, 



Derby Day, the people were too busy to heed him ; 

 but he was quite one of the institutions of the Ascot ; 

 and the inimitable way in which he chaffed the swells, 

 and then requested them to take his arm and let him 

 " show them a little life," never failed to extract 

 endless sixpences from the carriage line. His pro- 

 pensity to cling on to the side of carriages proved 

 fatal to him at last, as one was overturned on to him 

 at the Goodwood Meeting of '48, and his motley chums 

 followed him, with all the honours, to his last resting- 

 place at Chichester. 



" Snuffling," or rather " Donkey Jemmy/' is the 

 only one who attempts the Yorick line now. At the 

 Ascot meeting he, of course, wore his huge yel- 

 low wig ; and as we counted at least forty distinct 

 brays during the Cup afternoon, and as his tariff is 

 sixpence per bray, he did not do far amiss. Those 

 people who are not in carriages, he looks down upon 

 with supreme contempt. — " I do the donkey to please 

 the aristocracy, not the common people," was his 

 withering remark in our presence, about a quarter 

 to three that afternoon, when two or three Berkshire 

 Lubins indulged in some elephantine pleasantries at 

 his expense. "Jerry" would have had tact to see 

 that this was rather a back-handed compliment ; but 

 " Donkey Jemmy" is far less acute. The other card- 

 sellers hold him in great contempt, as they consider 

 that by the adventitious aid of a large nose, which he 

 handles very artistically during the braying operation, 

 he contrives to steal a march upon his less-favoured 

 brethren, who are not so musical. 



The red-coated division were once headed by 

 " Paddy," of the Queen's stag-hounds, the most 

 wonderful runner of his day, and preserved to all 

 time in Grant's celebrated picture ; but he has been 

 dead some years, and " Old Jack Straw," " Warwick 

 Dan," and " Billy Priest," are his principal successors. 

 The first comes from the Cheltenham country, the 



