ORGANISED STEEPLECHASING 31 



could catch her. The Captain, however, was soon mounted 

 again, and was not long in rejoining his horses, so that 

 the pace could not have been very great. Some of the 

 competitors virtually gave up, and some tumbled down, 

 so that when the last flag was turned, and the winning- 

 post came into view, the field had considerably 

 diminished. Moonraker swept round the last turn 

 closely followed by Corinthian Kate, Grimaldi, Bloom- 

 field, and Napoleon. There was little to choose 

 between them at the next few fences, but in breasting 

 the last hill Moonraker and Corinthian Kate jumped 

 the third fence from home almost abreast. At the next 

 fence Moonraker swerved ever so little to the left so as 

 to clear the tree on which a flag was displayed, so that 

 Corinthian Kate presently held a slight lead. Then 

 Moonraker went ahead again, and was so full of running 

 that he cleared twenty-one feet at the last fence. Mr. 

 Mostyn, who had been riding a waiting race on Grimaldi, 

 then brought up the grey, headed Corinthian Kate, and 

 joined Moonraker, the pair running a desperate race 

 home. Moonraker's turn of speed saved him, however, 

 and he won by about half a length ; Grimaldi was second, 

 Corinthian Kate third. Napoleon fourth, and Bloomfield 

 fifth. In the last field the crowd closed in, and besides 

 impeding some of the horses, some of the spectators 

 were hurt. 



Squire Osbaldeston, as above mentioned, was umpire, 

 and saw Moonraker, ridden by Dan Seffert, win, beating, 

 as will have been seen, Grimaldi ; but the Squire was 

 so firmly convinced of the superiority of the grey, 

 Grimaldi, then the property of Captain Evans, that he 

 gave Elmore ^50 to make a match for ^^500 a side. 

 It, however, takes two to make a bargain, and on 

 Captain Evans being approached, he expressed himself 

 unwilling to start his horse, so Mr. Osbaldeston sur- 

 mounted the difficulty by becoming the purchaser of 



