Colonel R. F. Meysey -Thompson 



striking a huge piece of gorse, tore it from its place, sending it 

 rolling over and over in front of Elmina. There was nothing 

 to be done except to trust to luck, and Elmina, putting back 

 her ears, charged it like a bullfinch, but not being able to see 

 the bank caught the top of it with her knees, and very nearly 

 had a fall. She went right on to her head, even the back of 

 her neck behind her ears being plastered with mud, but re- 

 covered herself in a wonderful fashion, and as the rider kept 

 his seat, they were quickly racing away again after the others. 

 Round the bottom turn was a row of hurdles — stack-bars with 

 a few sprigs of gorse drawn through them, as was then the 

 fashion, and without attempting to jump, Elmina crashed 

 through, sending the splinters flying in every direction. The 

 mare had now got her blood thoroughly up, and jumping the 

 remaining fences in gallant style her speed told in the run in, 

 and she won as she liked. Poor Elmina, however, had run her 

 last race, her fate being a sad one. A thousand guineas were 

 offered for her in vain that night, and finally she was duly 

 leased for a year for five hundred pounds. Three weeks after- 

 wards, when running for the first time for her new owner, in a 

 flat race at The Maze, she smashed a front fetlock into atoms, 

 and, the case being hopeless, she had to be shot. 



After returning from Cork Park, an amusing incident took 

 place one day, during a ride in Phoenix Park. Alan McDonough 

 had several times proposed to Mr. Meysey-Thompson that he 

 should come out for a ride with him, and try one of his hunters, 

 and an appointment to do so was accordingly made. As they 

 were returning home the old man suddenly suggested a short 

 " finish " by way of amusement ; then pointing to a tree about 

 three hundred yards away, and saying, " We'll make that the 

 winning-post," in almost the same breath he shouted " Go," 

 and set his horse off at his best pace. Taken by surprise, so 



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