240 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



hospitality. I was not allowed to leave without promising 

 to revisit my kindly host on the home voyage. 



I have often regretted that it was not possible to treat 

 all well-known sportsmen who visit England with some 

 such hospitality, and I have tried to do what I can in 

 that direction, but the problem in England is not so easy, 

 for England is, from a racing point of view, the Hub 

 of the Universe, and visitors going from there to 

 the circumference are easily noted, whereas it is by no 

 means so easy to distinguish the right people amongst 

 the crowds that flock to England during the racing 

 season. 



The remainder of the voyage to " B. A." passed with- 

 out any particular incident, but it was not until about 

 9 P.M. on the Saturday night that it was possible to 

 land. Vaccination and other certificates, as well as the 

 medical inspection, did not cause much delay, and having 

 got through the customs, I was driven to the Grand 

 Hotel, where I am certainly at home, and there was 

 my old friend, Mr James Harmer Getting, waiting to 

 meet me. Not to know " Jimmy" Getting in " B.A." 

 is to argue yourself unknown. Of course he had every- 

 thing ready for me, including a card of honorary member- 

 ship of the Jockey Club, and a programme for each day in 

 the coming week, commencing with breakfast and racing 

 at Palermo on the morrow. 



THE JOCKEY CLUB OF PALERMO 



It is always a pleasure to breakfast in that beautiful 

 oval room of the Jockey Club at Palermo, and there is 

 certainly plenty of time given for doing so, as the first 

 race does not start until 2.30 P.M., though there are no 

 fewer than eight events on the card. Of course I met 



