RACING AND BILLIARDS 



would ever be caught, but when it came to racing he 

 cracked up and, Minting sweeping along on his own, 

 never gave the opposition a chance, sailing in a very 

 easy winner. Benzon won twenty-three thousand 

 pounds; it didn't do him much good, poor fellow. 

 A horse named Tyrone was second, and the afore- 

 mentioned Cobbler managed to hold on to take third 

 place. Benzon averaged a little over four to one to 

 his money ; Minting starting at seven to two. 



The reason I bring Benzon in here is that he was 

 in Australia during part of my days, and was reckoned 

 the biggest " can " — derivation " mug " — among new 

 chums who ever came there. Although he was supposed 

 to have lost such an enormous lot of money, very little 

 of it was paid — he was under age — so it was not a dear 

 experience. But I was talking about pyramids. One 

 day in the old-fashioned Union Hotel in Clayton 

 Square, Liverpool, Benzon and I had our usual five 

 games and I happened to win a bit. I played to 

 weary him out, and I remember him saying afterwards : 

 " Will you play up your luck ? " There and then 

 striding out in front of me, turning round occasionally, 

 he kept on saying : '' We shall win money. It's a 

 certainty ; I felt like this once at Windsor when I won 

 twenty-three thousand pounds." We went into a 

 small betting club, and he insisted on my following 

 his tips. I did, and from winning the three pounds 

 over pyramids ran it into eighty pounds ready, back- 

 ing four winners in succession. Benzon won over 

 two hundred and fifty pounds. He was paid it nearly 

 all, and was tickled to death. I smiled as I saw them 

 gathering round and trying to lure him on to half-an- 

 hour at jackpots, but Benzon by this time had learnt 

 a bit, and was ingenious enough to say he couldn't 

 leave his friend, meaning myself. We went back to 



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