THE HUMOURS OF THE RACECOURSE 95 



pared to be picked up as they were in tlie races 

 wliicli are now to be described. The sporting writer 

 known as ' Old Calabar ' appears to have once made 

 a sporting trip to France with a friend ; the following 

 is his account of a hurdle-race and steeplechase afc 

 St. Malo. Old Calabar asserts that the incidents 

 are true, 



' We found St. Malo a dirty town, so we took up 

 our quarters at St. Servan, close by, at the Union 

 Hotel, where we found several English and Irish 

 gentlemen, and learned from them that the St. Malo 

 races would take place in a few days ; that a hurdle- 

 race and steeplechase were open ; and that we could 

 enter our horses during the next two days. The 

 races, we found on inquiry, were to be held on the 

 sands. 



"Hang it," said Debenham, "I don't know if 

 the horses will run there, it is a style of thing they 

 have never been accustomed to ; however, we will go 

 and have a canter over them to-morrow morning. 

 Dashed if I shouldn't like to take the shine out of 

 Mossoo here ! But these chaps are up to a thing or 

 two, not only here, but in the old country. My man 

 shall sleep in the stable. I'm not going to have 

 them nobbled ; and, my boy, if you will only attend 

 to me, we'll commence winning here, ' skin the lamb,' 

 if we can, and work our way through these country 

 meetings. The devil's in it if we can't outride the 

 Frenchman ; at any rate, we'll try." 



