A Sportsman at Large 193 



" For the love of Mike, old sport, what have I done ? " I 

 asked meekly. 



" What have you done, why you've given the course to 



a dog what never scored a point in the whole 



course ! " 



(My irate friend used an identical adjective in each case. 

 The blanks can be filled in to taste.) 



" On the contrary, the red did everything including the 

 kill. If your dog was on the white collar, my friend, he never 

 had a look in from first to last." 



" The red," he shrieked. " The red. Why damn it all, 

 they told me you had given it to the white ! " 



It seems that in his hurry and excitement, he had missed 

 the flag steward's signal, and then some wags had pulled 

 his leg and sent him hot foot to tell me his honest opinion 

 of my efforts in the judicial seat. 



Of course his apologies were profuse and quite heart-rending. 



" Parturiunt monies nascetur ridiculus mus I " 



Already I have alluded to the enthusiasm for their favourite 

 sport which burns in the heart of practically every man or 

 woman, boy or girl, when once they have become conversant 

 with the intricacies of the great game. This is well illustrated 

 by the story of a certain field officer of high rank whose 

 command was on the French front during the Great War. 

 This gallant gentleman was an out-and-out lover of the leash, 

 and when he " became wise to " the fact that hares abounded 

 in his sector, his thoughts spanned the Channel and rested on 

 his kennels in Old Blighty. He began to yearn for a sight 

 of his well- trained and beloved " speed machines." He 

 visualized them pressing puss, of the Gallic variety ; but how 

 was it to be contrived ? The question of importing a couple 

 of brace of his longtails offered no difficulty to a man 

 of his resource and forceful authority ; but how was he to 

 get his favourites back to their native land when they had 

 served their purpose ? Quarantine ! Ah, there was the 

 rub! 



Anyhow, he would chance it, even if he had to submit to 

 their becoming permanently nationalized to Fair France, 

 or if, unhappily, they should fall into the hands of the 



13 



