67 



rejoicing". Help they never will give beyond catching your 

 horse in anticipation of the douceur ! 



The trysting" place was Jodhpore Station, and the 

 starting point from the same field as last year's Cup over a 

 hurdle, and then on over the bund country and interven- 

 ing fences. 



Our M. F. H. and Captain Grimston laid the paper. 



The field were speedily despatched, and on the word 

 being given, Dinah at once rushed away to the front and 

 led from The Drummer, Lady Flo and Ratafia, Snowdon 

 coming- next with the remainder in a cluster. 



The first fence after the road was a bank with bush on 

 top of it, and then a wall, and then some more hurdles all 

 coming in quick succession. After these over which all 

 bar Ratafia jumped well, the line went on to the celebrated 

 *' bunds.'' 



These solid fences take all the jumping that a horse 

 can give them, and liberties cannot be taken with them in 

 any wav. It's either jump or fall as they wont give an 

 inch. Dinah was bringing them along a cracker as they 

 swung into the open and came over these raspers fencing 

 like a book. The first of them gave no one any trouble, 

 but at the second the grief began. The Drummer rushed 

 at it, hit it hard and turned over on top of his rider. Lady 

 Flo coming next, got over the fence right enough, but 

 cannoned into the fallen Drummer and came down also, 

 pinning Mr. Butler to the ground. At the next one Snowdon 

 turned a most imperial turtle and knocked his sporting- 

 owner out of time. Flatcatcher with a cleverness that did 

 him credit stopped dead when he saw that he could not 

 jump without landing right on top of the fallen horse and 

 man. Ratafia now went up into second place, attended by 

 Half Pay, Blazes, and Tantalus ; Flatcatcher refused the 

 fence followinsf the third bund ^nd lost further orround. 

 This fence was another strongly banked bund and the one 

 after it a very healthy thing in mud walls standing at the 

 very least four feet. This last was the ninth fence in the 

 first mile of the distance, and this severe tax on the jumping 

 powers of the horses had visibly thinned the field and 

 choked off all but the real '' customers." Dinah still spun 

 along in front best pace, and after crossing the Tollygunge 

 Lane led her field through some extremely narrow and 

 cramped lanes to the Molla Hat Road. The turn on to 

 the pucca from this jungle lane was a wicked one, a narrow 



