202 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



met good stayers in the Hay Presto and Bachelors 



Double she was beaten. 



I must hark back to the days when my regiment 

 was quartered at Colchester. About twenty miles 

 from there yet lives a great sportsman, Sir Claude 

 De Crespigny, one of the hardest men who ever 

 lived ; I would back him to walk, box, swim and 

 ride against any man of his own age. He had a 

 private steeplechase course on his estate at Cham- 

 pion Lodge. Early in the spring of 1881 Sir 

 Claude placed this course at our disposal, and 

 there we held our first regimental races after 

 eleven years' service abroad. At this meeting 

 I managed to win three events with two animals 

 that came under the designation of "screws." A 

 screw is a class by himself, and the stand-by of 

 the poor man's stable — never quite lame and 

 never quite sound, and if he makes the " least 

 bit of noise you know." So much the better, 

 for he will cost less, and, judiciously ridden, he 

 will prove satisfactory enough. At the end of 

 the season you will find a screw, although he 

 has probably done twice the work of the "sound 

 clean young horse," just as well as when the 

 season began ; the latter, however, looks dejected 

 and careworn, for he is qualifying for the screw 

 stage. When he has reached that stage he will 

 be a hunter. 



