HURDLE-RACE AT PAU 13 



" VILLA JOUVENCE, PAU, Sunday. 

 MY DEAR FRED 



The Yankees one night in the Club were blowing 

 real hard at a certain great hurdle-race runner, a 

 Canadian who was in Pau, but whom they would not 

 name, challenging any one in Pau in general, and me 

 in particular, to run him. He was described as having 

 run twenty-two races, and only lost two. I could not 

 stand it, so took up the challenge, stipulating, however, 

 for 200 yards and ten flights of 3 ft. 6 in. hurdles, each 

 hurdle to be strengthened at the top by a heavy builder's 

 plank, 1 8 yards between the hurdles and 20 yards run 

 in. The ordinary is, as you will remember, 120 yards, 

 ten flights of hurdles 3 ft. 3 in. in height, the hurdles 

 delicate things that a man can break. The Canadian, 

 Young, took up the challenge for his backers, and 200 

 francs a side was put on it, and the race fixed for 1st 

 inst. At 10.30 on that day the Plain was swarming, 

 and the greatest possible excitement existed. At the 

 start Young darted away like a bolt, and I saw at once 

 that he had the foot of me by a good bit, which I was 

 prepared for. The first four hurdles he cleared beauti- 

 fully, going at top speed, I following within my speed, 

 and consequently losing ground fast, though by my 

 flies at the hurdles, some of which were 15 or 16 feet, 

 I gained a little of what I lost in the running. At the 

 fifth hurdle, as he deserved, Young hit the plank, and 

 was sent sprawling on to the grass, and my moment 

 was come. As quick as a weasel Young was on his 

 legs again, and we went almost side by side over the 

 sixth, which he hit hard. I had now rammed on all 

 the speed, and flew the hurdles one after the other in a 

 frantic way, hearing the Canadian hitting each hard 



