174 The Life of Fred Archer 
Whenever Archer was a bit down on his luck he would come 
to me and say, ' Pull out the old grey and break the ice for 
me,' when I would enter Strathavon for a selling race. 
" On one occasion he had been riding at Newmarket Races, 
quite out of luck. He asked me to enter Strathavon in a 
seUing race at Kempton Park to break his spell of bad luck, 
which I did, although I was unable to back him. I entered 
Strathavon, but had to bet £1,500 to £600 on him. I always 
gave Archer £50 for winning a race for me, and I did so now ; 
but later on he came back and said, ' I won't take your 
£50. I said, ' Nonsense. Take it. I won on the race ; 
in fact, after buying the horse, I was £So to the good.' But he 
said, ' No, I won't, but I'll have a suit of clothes.' So he 
came round to my rooms the following morning and we went 
together and ordered the new suit, and I made him have an 
overcoat too. The same morning I drove him to Kempton, 
and we had to go over Waterloo Bridge. There was a toll-gate 
there then, and I had to stop my phaeton to pay the toll. 
It was three-halfpence, I think ; and Archer said : ' Let me 
pay this time — you paid the last ! ' 
" Archer was called ' The Tinman,' because he was saving 
with his money. Mind being called ' The Tinman ' ! Not he ! 
He didn't mind anything. He was careful, it is true, but he 
could be very generous — especially to jockeys down on their 
luck ; he would often give away a fiver in a quiet sort of way. 
He was very popular with all racing men, and he would just 
as soon talk to any poor man as to the aristocracy. He was 
not a great talker, but when you got him to yourself then he 
would talk. 
" Chiefly about racing, though. He hadn't a great deal 
to say on other subjects. Everyone liked to be with him ; 
he certainly had very taking manners. 
" I have no letters from him, for he didn't write very well, 
and he never wrote any letters himself if he could help it. I 
often wrote his letters for him. 
