Echoes of the Hunting Horn 



Now they're coming to the drop ditch a dangerous 

 kind of an ould blind contraption but, thank God 

 they're over it safely. Have you a good view, Mary 

 Ellen ? Do you know, that gossoon of ours is making 

 wonderful great work ! Dang ! but they're after lepping 

 two fences so quickly that I missed seeing them with 

 the talking. 



Now they're racing for the big up-bank, a ticklish 

 class of jump. Purty high, too. God save us, the two 

 leaders are down. They'll baffle the others. Jamesy, 

 son, mind yourself. Steady avick, steady me jewel ! 

 Over ! Good man ! He's a great lad, Mary darling, a 

 great lad; an* The Holy Terror's a tremendous great 

 horse. 



What's that you say, Miss ? There's more room 

 behind ? God spare you. Step up here, Mary Ellen, 

 and you can see better. Oh, that's grand. What's that, 

 Miss ? Did you say the green rider ? You backed 

 him ? I hope he wins for you. He's my son, Jamesy; 

 wee Jamesy : and he told me, and his mother here, to 

 wait at this spot above the water-jump. I'm too stiff 

 to fight my way through crowds, and he told us to 

 stay here where it would be middling quiet. And 

 'twould give him more courage, too, for whisper, Miss, 

 The Holy Terror is a bit green at water, but Jamesy 

 told us that if he got over the river he'd give the best 

 of them a run for their money. 



Now they're racing at the wall; it's not too high, 

 but it would be safer not to hit it, just the same. Over 

 they come ! five, six, seven of them. Swooping towards 

 us down the long slope to the river. Jamesy's moving 



96 



