290 5 TEEPLE- Cha sing 



preliminaries. ' Quid non ebrietas designat ? ' Horace 

 asks — the noun is used in its mildest and most inno- 

 cent significance — and at least it gives Fluffy er rosy 

 hopes of victory. What a simple thing riding over a 

 steeple-chase course is ! — to the looker-on, that is to say ; 

 and at the moment Fluffyer is imaginatively standing 

 aside to note the victory of that famous jacket, or, to be 

 accurate, the jacket that is to become famous. Enter a 

 horse ? Of course he will. He would not miss the chance 

 on any account. Chasing is simply the best sport he knows, 

 until, time having passed, the eventful day has arrived, 

 he is mounted, and has almost forgotten the brilliance 

 of the jacket in a feeling of amazement at the marvellous 

 way in which the fences have grown. He has known 

 the country for years, but never knew the jumps to be 

 so big — and not only so big, but so ugly ; for he forgets 

 that, as a rule, he has tried the gates or taken his turn at 

 a gap. These are not now available. Instead of picturing 

 victory, he actually begins to wonder whether he will get 

 home safely. The amazing coolness of experienced riders 

 who are accustomed to riding, and are not in the least 

 disturbed at the magnitude of the task before them — 

 as he supposes, for, in fact, it is a very ordinary course 

 — in no way comforts him. He has had misgivings 

 more than once of late, and the consequence of all this 

 is that he nervously wrestles down his horse after 

 scrambling clumsily across the first two obstacles. 



One of the chief causes of the temporary decadence 

 of chasing arises from the patronage given to hurdle- 

 racing. It is a simpler thing to jump hurdles than to 

 jump a country; there is less wear and tear for horses, 

 and a great deal more money to be won. Some of the 

 prizes at the debased sport are comparatively handsome 



