"BOB'S" AUDACITY 



Warrnambul Races and Lammerse dropped five hun- 

 dred pounds to Sievier with the box on the coach. 

 Eventually the gorgeous punter made a book on the 

 "flat" — that is, right outside, at the meetings round 

 Melbourne. Nearly all his lovely clothes had gone, and 

 he was down and out. That's what Australia does 

 for many of them. His frock-coat new was the last 

 word, his frock-coat old was like a bath robe. 



The next time I saw Sievier was when he was betting 

 in the ring at Randwick, Sydney. After the third 

 race of a big day he told his punters that he had no 

 more money with him, they could bet with him if they 

 liked, but not for ready. He would pay and receive 

 — giving credit — ^the next day. Such audacity ! And 

 they rolled up some giving the ready, but to each one 

 he was emphatic that there would be no settlement 

 until the following afternoon. I think he won six or 

 seven hundred pounds over the three races which 

 remained on the card. His open talk about being 

 short of money appealed to the many, especially as he 

 laid good odds. He bet to figures, which was the attrac- 

 tion, and didn't mind long prices about outsiders. 



There were two other Englishmen betting at the 

 same time, Wallace and Westbrook. They, too, would 

 offer thirty-three and forty to one when they had got 

 a fair amount of betting over the chief goods. They 

 dressed in light frock-coats or tweeds, both alike of 

 course, and wore white bell-toppers (Australian term 

 for high hats). They had a cigar shop in Sydney, with 

 a little back room, in which there was a lot of gambling 

 in the afternoon, and one could always be accom- 

 modated with a straight-out price about any future 

 event race. 



As I have mentioned, Barney Thompson was out 

 there then betting on his own. Barney was the first 



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