3o8 POLO ABROAD. [Chap. XIII. 



is generally regarded as the best polo pony in that 

 country. The chestnut pony Chief (Fig. 103) is also 

 a typical American, and is of the highest class. Ex- 

 press (Fig. 104), though not quite as good as his two 

 stable companions, is bad to beat. 



CALIFORNIA. 



In California, the Burlinghame Club is the head- 

 quarters of polo, although there are many other good 

 clubs. Ponies are plentiful and good, as we may see 

 from Figs. 47 and 89. Englishmen started polo in 

 California, where the game is played under Hurling- 

 ham rules, which fact is, I think, a proof of the 

 superiority of the English over the American game, 

 because Californian players had the opportunity of 

 judging which was the better of the two. 



ARGENTINA. 



The Hurlingham Club at Buenos Ayres is the 

 leading polo club in the Argentine Republic, where the 

 game is vigorously supported whenever eight English- 

 men can get together. Even a dearth of our country- 

 men does not always stop the game in that part of the 

 world ; for some of the owners of estancias have their 

 own teams of natives, who play admirably. 



An annual championship (p. 332), and many other 

 good tournaments and matches take place. On many 

 occasions we have had the pleasure of welcoming 

 Argentine players on English grounds. H. Scott 

 Robson, the ambidextrous welter weight, is the best 

 player who has come from South America ; but we 

 have seen many other good performers from that 

 country, such as Frank Furber, Frank Balfour, and 



