362 SPORT IN EUROPE 



with those of other people, and, if that be the case, I can only 



apologise and proceed. 



Half a century has passed since the immortal Jorrocks rose in the 



big room of " The Dragon," in Handley Cross, and proclaimed to the 



sporting assemblage before him that "'Unting was the 



Mr. John sport of kings ; the image of war without its guilt, 



Jorrocks on 



British Sports '^'^*^^ ^"b' five-and-twenty per cent, of its danger." 



It will be remembered by all who have known the 

 great Jorrocks — and who has not.'* — that there was a dinner held 

 at "The Dragon," Mr. Jorrocks in the chair, and it was attended 

 by several parties connected with difterent branches of sport. 



Mr. Jorrocks began all right. The first toast was " I he Queen 

 and her Stag-hounds." Next came "Racing," then "'Are-hunting 

 and the Dotfield 'Arriers," and lastly "Coursing." All these different 

 sports were represented at the dinner by enthusiastic followers, who 

 were suitably attired in red or green, according to the particular sport 

 they favoured, and Mr. Jorrocks had been carefully warned not to 

 offend any of them. He began all right. He praised stag-hunting 

 as a sport of great " hantiquity." " It was owing to racing," he said, 

 " we possessed our superior breed of orses." He called " 'are-'unting " 

 a " nice, ladylike amusement," and, with regard to coursing, he ex- 

 patiated largely on the merits of "'are soup." But alas! alas! In his 

 final effort, when he rose to return thanks for the toast of his health, 

 overcome by the fumes of the wine or the love for his own particular 

 hobby, he hurled bomb after bomb at the various groups that sup- 

 ported the sports he had just so pleasantly alluded to. 



"Talk of stag-'unting," he cried, "might as well 'unt a hass. See 



