46 The Life of Fred Archer 
man spied some of the people watching the race who had laughed 
at him, and he turned round and said to them : " Well, 
and what do you think of my old mare now ? " 
To return to the hunt. Mr. William La Terriere joined 
the party, and Mr. Reed invited all of them to the house to 
taste his famous cider. On arriving there, Mr. La Terriere 
dismounted, but Freddie and his father remained seated ; 
while having a chat, Mr. La Terriere said to Freddie's 
father : " What are you going to make of the boy ? " His 
father replied : " I think he would make a parson or a lawyer." 
At this Freddie smiled, and Mr. La Terriere replied : "I 
think he would make a good jockey." Addressing Freddie, 
he said : " Would you like to be a jockey ? " Freddie repHed, 
" Yes, sir." Turning to Archer senior, Mr. La Terriere said : 
" If you like, I will write to my friend Mr. Mathew Dawson, of 
Newmarket, and see if he would take him." Mr. Archer agreed, 
and in a few days they received a reply to the effect that 
Mathew Dawson wished him to bring or send his boy to New- 
market. Freddie at first was reluctant to leave home, but 
afterwards consented to go with his father. 
So a few days later the eleven-year-old child set out with 
William Archer for Newmarket. 
