24 CHASING AND RACING 



'undred ter wan ! " others " shouted, persistently, 

 we had beatific visions of colossal gains. 



Next morning The Sportsman reported the race and 

 gave the S.P. return as evens. Fly ; 10-1, Murphy, 

 Leprechaun, Kathleen Mavourneen ; 100-8, St. Pat- 

 rick, Shillelagh; 20-1, others. 



Evens, Fly ! The gaff had been blown and our 

 S.P. commissions, which amounted in all to ^63 only, 

 had come across the Irish Channel, and made our 

 transmogrified champion a raging favourite. You 

 should have seen Jesse's face, it was a study in dis- 

 gruntlement ! 



Well, it served me right ! We had contravened 

 no rules ; but the whole transaction was an unsavoury 

 one and an insult to the reputation and prowess of 

 Catena. Anyway, it taught me a lesson and recalled 

 the good old adage which recites that one cannot touch 

 pitch without being defiled. 



In those days there was a superfluity of " rough 

 stuff " handed out to such as went to the starting-post 

 on " ponies. " Some of the " courses " on which we 

 disported ourselves were of a very cramped and 

 circumscribed character. The turns were so acute 

 that one had to swing around at an angle of forty-five 

 degrees or less, and the turf over which we galloped 

 was often of the roughest and most holey description ; 

 consequently accidents were of frequent occurrence 

 (though only on one occasion, did I witness a 

 fatal issue). At any rate we had to learn how to 



