Dick Christiaii s Lecture, 345 



in, and I had two falls, or I should have beat them. 

 Mr. Haycock was leading on Clinker three fields from 

 home, nearly a hundred yards before Magic. Poor 

 Clinker ! he was blind with defeat when his bridle 

 came off. I was 200 yards nearer the Coplow when 

 I fell : they talked a deal about my jumping thirty- 

 three feet that day, but I've done a vast more than 

 that. 



Clinker's and Clasher's was a great match ; they 

 said it was 1500 guineas a side. They sent for me the 

 night before, did Captain White and Captain Ross, 

 and locked me into their room : then they gave me 

 their orders ; they says, " We mean you to wait, 

 Dick." I said, " You'd better let me let the horse go 

 along, gentlemen, and not upset him ; he'll take a 

 deal more out of himself by waiting." So I got them 

 persuaded round. Old Driver the groom was outside, 

 and he comes up to me — "What do they shay? 

 What do you want to wait for .?" So I told him I 

 was to go along, and that pleased him, it did. We 

 thought it was all right then. W^e weighed at Dalby, 

 the Squire and I — bless me ! I never was in such con- 

 dition — and away we trotted to Gartree Hill. They 

 were walking the horses about, and Captain Ross he 

 says to me, " Clinker looks well." ** He looks too 

 well. Captain," I said. Then he lifted me up, and he 

 tells me the orders were changed, and I must w^ait. 

 " It's giving away a certainty," says I, " and if I get 

 a fall then I am all behind." But it was no manner 

 of use talking. Sir Vincent Cotton and Mr. Gilmour 

 they started us, and Mr. Maher he was umpire. We 

 rode twelve stone apiece : I was in tartan, and the 

 Squire, of course he'd be in green. When we are at 

 the post, he says, " Now, Christian, I know what your 

 orders are — I do ask one thing ; don't jump on me if 

 I fall." I said, " I'll give you my word, ' Squire,' I 

 won't." The gentlemen they could hardly keep with 

 us, and some of them had two or three horses fixed. 



