SPOET AND SPORTSMEN ON THE FRENCH COAST. 279 



horses into the hippodrome, a second peal of 

 the cracked bell announcing the event. They 

 canter and go down to the starting-place a little 

 beyond the stand, the red flag falls, the red 

 jacket jumps off with the lead, retains it the 

 first time round, is never headed, and com6s 

 in an easy winner. No. 7 goes up after an 

 interval. 



The flag descends the post, and this we know 

 indiquera que la public pourra ci7xuler lihrement 

 jusqu'a Vanno7ice d^une nouvelle course. An 

 outsider wins the Prix du Cercle du Casino, 

 where some of us go and play ecarte when the 

 'petits chevaux and the regattes seem slow ; and 

 then comes the great event of the day, the 

 Grand Criterium International for two-year-olds. 

 They do not hurry themselves to put up the 

 numbers, these French officials, and there is 

 plenty of time to look about, to note the sheaves 

 in the cornfields away beyond the f^^ S.ar side of 

 the course, the toilettes of the ladies, who are 

 now some of them sitting about the lawn 

 gorgeously arrayed in colours — red predomi- 

 nating. Here, too, are the horses, 41 coloured 

 on the card, including an English detachment. 

 The Count de Lagrange has four in, and 

 Jennings one, so here is a pretty puzzle to solve. 

 Jockeys with unfamiliar colours beneath their 



