Horse Race bet between
the General Cox and Lord Blayney
Verdun, 1813

While a prisoner of Napoleon, Andrew was generally treated well (more like a celebrity on tour), but his men were often treated very poorly [15] [458]. The story is told by John Stanhope to Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope about Lord Blayney's clever ruse.

Courcelles succeeded in robbing the prisoners who were in his charge in a more cautious manner than his predecessor; he, in short, contrived to subtract something for himself from any remittances which reached them, and paid them francs for livres. But if in many instances the prisoners suffered at the hands of the French authorities, on one occasion the position was reversed, and a French commandant became the victim of a prisoner's cunning. The hero of this incident was Lord Blayney, the Irishman before referred to. A certain General Cox, formerly Governor of Almeida owned a very nice little Andalusian horse, Sancho, which had distinguished itself as one of the first racers in Verdun. Lord Blayney offerred a challenge for Sancho to run against a horse which he promised to produce for the event, and his bet was accepted with alacrity. He thereupon sent to an Englishman who was in young Talleyrand's service, and who was a recognised connoisseur in horseflesh, instructing this man to send him a particular English race hourse which had formerly figured at Verdun, and in the capabilities of which Lord Blayney still apparently had confidence, although it was now pretty well advanced in years. Nevertheless when the animal reached Lord Blayney's stables, sundry alterations were made to its appearance which would prevent its being recognised as an old acquaintance by those who had seen it formerly; and thus when the date for the race arrived, an unknown beast entered the lists against Sancho. It was soon patent to all that the age of this competitor made its chances of success but small; and, in fact, General Cox’s fleet little horse won in a canter. Everyone laughed loudly at Lord Blayney’s folly in imagining that so obviously incompetent an animal could rum against the beautiful little racer Sancho; only Lord Blayney himself seemed stupidly surprised at his own failure. None the less he bore his loss with amiability, and as he had previously invited his antagonists to dine with him that night he did not omit to make them welcome. General Cox and the backers of Sancho were, not unnaturally, in the highest spirits that evening; and when wine had loosened their tongues they expressed their triumph rather incautiously in loud praises of their favourite horse. Lord Blayney likewise appeared to drink heavily and at last seemingly elated by this fact, or stung past endurance by the taunting remarks of his adversaries, he swore that he would again match his horse against Sancho and for a yet larger sum of money. Cox, delighted, instantly closed with the offer, and Lord Blayney shortly afterwards, as though overcome by the wine he had drunk, fell asleep. His guests sat on drinking till at length their host awoke, when it became evident to them that, sobered by his nap, he was ready to view matters in a more cautious light. “Cox” he observed anxiously, "I will give you a good sum down to be off the bet I made just now.” “Oh, no! no!” cried General Cox. “It is too late to withdraw it —you cannot show the white feather.” “Well, then,” shouted Lord Blayney, witht apparent angry recklessness, “I’ll double the first bet!” "Done!" cried the General, enchanted at the certainty of extracting a still larger sun from the pockets of the foolish peer. So delighted was he, in fact chat he generously arranged for several of Ins most intimate friends to share his prospective good fortune and seeing an unparalleled opportunity for currying favour with the Commandant, he invited the latter to participate in such exceptional luck. One man alone sow through the whole transaction. This was a certain friend of Lord Blayney's who is mentioned in John Stanhope's letters by his nickname of "Paddy Boyle," which had apparently been conferred upon him on account of his exhibiting certain characteristics which are more usually illustrative of an Irish than a Scottish nationality. Lord Boyle went to Lord Blayney with the unwelcome announcement: "By Jove, my Lord I'll tell of you!" "You'll do nothing of the sort!" rejoined Lord Blayney; I"ll give you a hundred pounds to hold your tongue!" The bargain was struck and the secret was kept. The eventful day arrived. So large a bet had attracted universal attention. "I will not attempt to describe," writes John Stanhope, "the intense interest felt by all present at the commencement of the race nor the confusion and dismay of the Cox party when they saw the previously incompetent animal now cantering away from Sancho with all the ease and style of a true English racehorse; nor will I attempt to give the crimination and recrimination that followed. I will content myself with transcribing the observation with which the poor Commandant consoled himself for his loss, ‘Les Anglais pretendent que Lord Blayney est fou; je reconnais a mes depens qu'il est plus fin que les autres!’ Transcribed from "The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope" [458]