172 EXPERIENCES OF SPORT. 



house, smoking an enormous cigar, and as we 

 had not much time to spare, we begged him to 

 let us know about the stirrup leathers, and what 

 he meant about it. 



"Look here, Britishers," he said, "this old 

 coon has knocked about a little, and I guess I 

 am up to a few things. Now you must know, 

 I can speak French jist as well as I can my own 

 language, which air the finest talk in creashun. 

 Wall, I came down here after a charter party 

 for the vessel, and knowing that these races 

 were to take place, thought I would hev a cut 

 in at the fun. I don't let every one know I can 

 speak French, and this time it has served me, 

 and I hope it will you. Perhaps you don't 

 know that all these hosses you ran against 

 yesterday, and most on 'em you will meet to- 

 day, are trained by Englishmen. You ain't 

 got an idea what a lot of these fellows come 

 over here from your island. They gits warned 

 off the course there for some little game 

 foul riding, nobbling, or something of that 

 sort. Wall, what do they do ? Why, they 

 puts an advertisement into one of your sporting 

 papers, saying as how their lowest riding weight 



