The Life of Fred Archer 33 
In Tom's spare time he baited badgers in Queen's Wood, 
where the primroses grow. He was fond of hterature, and 
even encouraged Lindsay Gordon to recite in his voice of 
dolorous pitch his own and other people's poetry. In Chelten- 
ham Gordon wrote his " Hunting Song," which was possibly sent 
out to his publishers by Frederick Marshall, the sporting lawyer, 
who signed Fred Archer's indentures. Two verses of it are : 
" Here's a health to every sportsman, be he stableman or lord ; 
If his heart be true I care not what his pockets may afford. 
And may he ever pleasantly each gallant sport pursue, 
If he takes his liquor fairly, and his fences fairly too. 
" He cares not for the bubbles of Fortune's fickle tide. 
Who, like Bendigo, can battle and, like Oliver, can ride. 
He laughs at those who caution, at those who chide he'll frown. 
As he clears a five-foot paling or he knocks a peeler down." 
The village still rings with the glorious deeds and quaint 
remarks of Tom Oliver. " He was," said Cecil Raleigh, " a 
small, wiry man, with a fringe of iron-grey hair round the face 
which made him look rather like a marmoset monkey, the 
effect being further heightened by a sallow complexion (he 
was said to be half a gipsy) and by his extremely bright, 
black, twinkling eyes. 
" He would say and write quaint things, as, for example, 
when an owner wrote to him and said : 
"'My horse has been under your care for three months. 
Do you think he can stay ? ' 
" Oliver replied : 
" ' Sir, your horse can stay, but he takes a damned long 
time about it ! ' 
" On another occasion he was extolling the qualities of a 
horse he was selling, but the dubious buyer inquired : 
" 'Doesn't he pull ? ' 
" ' Pull ! ' exclaimed Oliver. ' He wouldn't pull a sprat 
off a gridiron ! ' " 
His last years were spent at Wroughton, in Wiltshire, 
where he trained the royally-named descendants of The 
