3·15 Match, £120 a side, over the Steeple-chase Course, about three
miles and a half.
1. Mr Blankney, 14th Dragoons, ch. h. Jibboom, 5 years, 11 st.
7 lb., rose, black and gold cap.
2. Mr Peyton, b. m. Little Lady, 6 years, 11 st., sky-blue,
white cap.
Blankney was sitting on the regimental drag, arrayed in immaculate
boots and breeches, and, after the necessary weighing ceremony had been
gone through he mounted the great Jibboom, which Phil Kelly had been
leading about: the latter gentleman had a rather anxious look on his
face; but Blankney evidently thought he was on a good one, and nodded
confidently to his friends on the drag as he lurched down the course.
Little Lady was brought up to me, Smithers being in close attendance.
"I _shall_ be so glad, if you win," Nellie found opportunity to
whisper.
"What will you give me?" I greedily inquire.
"_Anything_ you ask me," is the reply; and my heart beats high as,
having thrown off my light wrapper and mounted, Little Lady bounds down
the course, and glides easily over the hurdle in front of the stand.
Bertie and Smithers were waiting at the starting-post; and, having
shaken hands with Blankney, to whom Bertie introduced me, I went apart
to exchange the last few sentences with my friends.
Bertie is a trifle pale, but confident; and Smithers seems to have a
large supply of the latter quality. In however high esteem we hold our
own opinions, we are glad of professional advice when it comes to the
push; and I seek instructions.
"No, sir, don't you wait on him. Go away as hard as you can directly
the flag drops. I don't like the look of that chestnut's legs--or,
rather, I do like the look of them for our sakes. Go away as hard as
ever you can; but take it easy at the fences; and, excuse me, sir, but
just let the mare have her head when she jumps, and she'll be all
right. People talk about 'lifting horses at their fences:' I only knew
one man who could do it, and he made mistakes."
I nod; smiling as cheerfully as anxiety will permit me. The flag falls,
and Little Lady skims over the ground, the heavy chestnut thundering
away behind.
Over the first fence--a hedge--and then across a ploughed field; rather
hard going, but not nearly so bad as I expected it would have been: the
mare moving beautifully. Just as I reach the second fence a boy rushes
across the course, baulking us; and before I can set her going again
Jibboom has come up level, and is over into the grass beyond a second
before us; but I shoot past and again take up the running. Before us
are some posts and rails--rather nasty ones; the mare tops them, and
the chestnut hits them hard with all four legs. Over more grass; and in
front, flanked on either side by a crowd of white faces, is the
water-jump. I catch hold of her head and steady her; and then, she
rises, flies through the air, and lands lightly on the other side. A
few seconds after I hear a heavy splash; but when, after jumping the
hurdle into the course, I glance over my shoulder, the chestnut is
still pounding away behind. As I skim along past the stand the first
time round and the line of carriages opposite, I catch sight of a
waving white handkerchief: it is Nellie; and my confused glimpse
imperfectly reveals Bertie and Smithers standing on the box of the
carriage.
I had seen visions of a finish, in which a certain person clad in a
light-blue jacket had shot ahead just in the nick of time, and landed
the race by consummate jockeyship after a neck-and-neck struggle for
the last quarter of a mile. This did not happen, however, for, as I
afterwards learned, the chestnut refused a fence before he had gone
very far, and, having at last been got over, came to grief at the posts
and rails the second time round. Little Lady cantered in alone;
Blankney strolling up some time afterwards.
There is no need to make record of Bertie's delight at the success. We
dined next day at the mess of the 14th, Blankney and his brethren were
excessively friendly, and seemed pleased and satisfied; as most
assuredly were we. Blankney opines that he went rather too fast at the
timber; but a conviction seemed to be gaining ground towards the close
of the evening that he had not gone fast enough at any period of the
race.
And for Nellie? She kept her promise, and granted my request; and very
soon after the ankle was well we required the services of other
horses--grey ones!