246 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



" In the autumn of 1865 a match was made between an 

 Englishman, living at Alexandria, named Frederick Smart, 

 and Halim Pasha, the uncle of the present Viceroy of 

 Egypt (1876), to run a thoroughbred English five-year-old 

 horse, ' Alabama,' formerly belonging to Mr. Ten Broeck, 

 against an Arab bay five-year-old horse, ' Handani,' 14 

 hands 1 in. high, of the Anezeh breed, to carry 10 st. 

 each, and to run from Cairo to Suez, a distance of eighty- 

 five miles. 



" It was afterwards altered, and it was agreed to run a 

 race of the same length, but to start from Cairo, to turn 

 round a point midway between that city and Suez, and to 

 terminate at Cairo, keeping along the old mail road, which 

 was very hard and pebbly. 



" ' Alabama ' was ridden by an old man named Marsh, 

 seventy years of age, who was well known with the Quorn, 

 and who came out from England for the race. ' Handani ' 

 was ridden by an Arab, ' Clerket,' who was the head groom 

 of Halim Pasha. 



" They started at 10.30 a.m. on a bitterly cold day 

 from the Abbasia Palace, on the outskirts of Cairo, an 

 immense quantity of people being present, and both at 

 once went off at a hand gallop. ' Alabama ' carefully 

 picked his way along the pebbly road and followed the 

 camel track, being totally unused to such ground, while 

 the Arab, being thoroughly at home, galloped away as 

 straight as an arrow. 



" Mr. Eeade, the English Consul, had been appointed 

 umpire, and, having started them, immediately got into a 

 special train with General Stanton, and they went to the 

 nearest point they could to the turning-post; they could 

 not get nearer, however, in the train than five miles from the 



