CHAPTER XVIII. 

 Some Racing Experiences. 



Being attacked by malarial fever I was obliged to leave 

 Spain, and Sir Julius Glyn, just then being appointed to 

 the command of the Dublin District, most kindly offered 

 me the appointment of A.D.C., which I gladly accepted, I 

 took over with me a chestnut mare, by " Speculum," that 

 had been bred by my father, and very soon bought another 

 beautifully bred mare, whom, from recollections of Spain, I 

 named " La Marchesa." These were my two chargers, with 

 whom I hoped to pick up a race or two as well, and also 

 to get some hunting on them. We at once began to train 

 them in the Phoenix Park, but, as it happened to be a very 

 hot summer and the ground became extremely hard, we 

 soon had to give up galloping on the turf, and to resort 

 instead to the excellent going afforded by the sea-sands at 

 low tide. 



Clever as the Curragh trainers undoubtedly are, they 

 are a little apt to think that what they are not in the 

 habit of doing is unworthy of attention ; and I was often 

 told afterwards of the amusement it had afforded them, to 

 hear that not only was a staff-officer in Dublin training 

 his own horses, but that he was actually galloping them on 

 the seashore. The jokes at my expense were, no doubt, 

 both numerous and facetious ; but the proof of the pudding 

 is in the eatincr, and I won a five-furlon"; race on " La 



