A Sportsman at Large 181 



hare, but could not pick it up ! This caused a serious stumble, 

 which gave Homfray (who had got off very lightly in all his 

 courses) a chance of which he promptly took advantage. 

 Poor Juliet's bolt was shot ! Exhausted nature gave out ; she 

 did not score another point ! 



When the fiasco in the semi-final occurred, we were wise 

 enough to hedge, and were able to do so by laying off at 2 to i, 

 since Homfray was not considered of much account. Indeed, 

 it is probable that he was the worst dog that ever won the 

 Blue Ribbon of the Leash. It was most distressing to all of us 

 to be so near to, and yet so far from, gaining the coveted prize. 



But if Homfray was the worst dog that ever annexed the 

 Cup, he was not the worst that ever ran in it, believe me ! No ! 

 That distinction rests with a creature of my own. 



This was at a much earlier date, viz., in my salad days as a 

 courser. I was at that time busy hunting my fox-hounds, but 

 I did not like the idea of returning my nomination. There 

 was a sale of greyhounds at The Barbican a few weeks before 

 the Cup ; so seeing in the catalogue a bk. d. (own brother, 

 same litter, to Fullerton) I sent a commission to buy him, 

 thinking that any greyhound by Greentick Bit of Fashion, 

 if fit and sound, must be capable of giving a good account of 

 itself. As it happened, I had nothing capable of trying my 

 new purchase, so he ran " dark." I forget what his original 

 name was, but I re-registered him Hi Cockalorum. I 

 am glad to say I was not at the meeting, for the brute was 

 led a dozen lengths in the first round of the Cup and never 

 scored a point or indeed got anywhere near the hare. The 

 same fate awaited him in " The Purse." I had to submit to 

 any amount of chaff ; whilst the Sporting Press " told me off " 

 for insulting the sport of coursing by entering such a beast in 

 the Dog Derby ! 



Well, I think it served me right. I ought to have made 

 myself acquainted with Hi Cockalorum's real quality (or 

 rather, want of it) before sending him to Altcar. 



As long as Hoad was at Southminster, he and friend Michels 

 were the victims of tantalizing luck. The year following the 

 Minchmuir tragedy, the latter's brother in blood, the bk. d. p. 

 Mandini, ran into the last four, and on the next occasion 



