CHAPTER XVIII 



HOLOCAUST 



Engaged for Holocaust— Flying Fox delays Start— WTiat Charles Hawtrey 



missed 



Of course up to this time I had never had a chance 

 either of riding in the Derby, or of seeing it, for 

 previously no summer had been spent in England. 

 The circumstances which led up to my getting the 

 mount on Holocaust are, briefly, that my friend 

 Charles Hawtrey and Miss Fanny Ward had been over 

 in France and had seen Holocaust run in I think the 

 French Derby. My name had been mentioned by 

 one or the other or both to M. de Bremond who owned 

 the grey. He was interested and although it was 

 stated tliat Watkins, a French jockey, was to ride him, 

 I was told that I might get the mount, and that M. 

 de Bremond, who was staying at the Savoy, would see 

 me if I went there. I only heard this in the evening 

 when I was sitting down to dinner. Hurrying over 

 this meal I went from the Cecil next door to the 

 Savoy and asked for the French owner. 



I was shown into the entrance to the restaurant and 

 M. de Bremond came out to meet me. He looked at 

 me as I stood before him in tail coat, white waistcoat 

 and tie and a silk hat and then he glanced over my 

 head as if looking for someone, saying : 



" Where is Sloan ? Bring him in here ! " 



" / am Sloan," I said. 



" Oh, are you ? I hear you'd like to ride my horse 

 to-morrow." 



134 



