the native scramble race. a yow first! ah kum second!

OUR HORSE RACES IN CHINA. 367

down through all the forms with a pious Scandinavian forefathers raised their
belief which accounts for the slow death early “Konigs,” after deeds of assured
the myths of early people die ; he is here, prowess, on the shields of their war-
there and everywhere, and finally he joins riors, the acknowledged leaders of the
in that impulsive rush with which the tribe,
well-earned victory is closed, and unwit-
tingly and spontaneously lends his ready These are the social bonds of cricket ;
hand and willing shoulder to hoist the these are the chords it touches to evoke its
champion of the day aloft, and carry him multitude of enthusiastic supporters from
in triumph to his tents, just as, midts the generation to generation, and this aspect
clang of arms and the mighty roar, his of cricket is to be seen in its most strik-
ing development at “Lord’s,”

OUR HORSE RACES IN CHINA.

by john l. anderson.

H E N the first morning to see a dirty, nearly naked
blast of the coolie walking into your veranda with a
northeast mon- paper in his hand, which he presents with
soon is felt, driv- a grin, for he has already learnt from pre-
ing back the hot vious visits made that morning that he is
winds from the the bearer of at least no unpleasant dis-
plains of China, patch. But let us read it :
the heat and lan-
guor are exces- “Amoy Races, 188—
sive, but when
the monsoon is “A meeting will be held at the club to-
fairly establish- night at 8 o’clock sharp to make arrange-
ed and blows in all its freshness it feels ments for the coming races.
for the first few days like an ethereal
champagne, planting joy in our hearts “Tom Smith, Secretary.”
and vigor in our bones.
For is not our busy season at an end, This document having been initialed
to be followed by our winter sports, our to make sure that the coolie does not skip
shooting, our yachting, our picnics, and, your house, as he would otherwise most
chief of our delights, our horse races? probably do, you get into your tub, finish
Ah, those races! ridden by gentlemen your “chotah hazzari,” or early breakfast,
riders and all on the square—the training, with a relish, jump into your clothes and
the betting, the sweeps, and, last but not feel as if a new era had started in your life.
least, the eventful race day itself.
But let me not rhapsodize ; let me de- The idea of having the meeting after
scend from my Pegasus and tell you all dinner is a good one. The heart is mol-
about our races. I will be as plain and lified by the feeling of general well being,
concise as I can, but, looking back on while the extra glass of claret you may
those younger days, I feel it hard not to have taken will not tend to decrease your
throw my hat in the air and shout, “Mol- liberality if asked to contribute a cup or
lie first! No—Meteor! Whip up, Char- a purse, to be run for as a special race.
lie! Hurrah! Meteor’s race, won by a
nose! Well done, Charlie, old man!” Dinner over, you get into your chair,
As the China new year approaches all and on the shoulders of two sturdy coolies
business is squared up with the natives, are quickly transported to the club house,
and, till the holidays are over, we have where, after fortifying yourself with a
almost nothing to do but enjoy ourselves very little Scotch whiskey, mixed with a
and prepare for the next hot season by good deal of soda water, you enter the
taking all the fun out of the cold weather large meeting room of the club, take a
that can possibly be extracted from it. chair, light a fresh cheroot and proceed
What is your delight early some fine at once to business.

A chairman is appointed, a day for the
race named, stewards, starter, judge and,
last, but not least, a clerk of the course.
Ah, lucky clerk of the course! for will
you not prance round the track, with your
brand new red coat, cords and top boots,

368 OUTING FOR AUGUST.

the admired of the ladies, the envied of and it is a treat to see the anxiety of the
the men, and a glorious mystery to the well-groomed horses to get out for their
Celestials! Then the chairman says : “We morning gallop. How they snort and
have nearly money enough for all usual neigh and poke their noses at you, as
expenses from the subscription list and much as to say, “My dear fellow, do take
entries, but it will add much to the in- me out first.”
terest of the meeting if any liberal-minded Many of our horses are fresh importa-
gentleman will give us one or two spare tions from Mongolia, with long, matted
cups to be run for.” Whereupon old hair, and the most uninviting material, to
Hermann, who is going home, says : “I all appearance, over which one would
vill gif you von cup ; it shall be die ‘Von wish to throw a leg.
But wait till he is clipped, got a little
Moltke’ cup.”
Hurrah, old boy! Three cheers for old accustomed to being in a stable, to his
Katzenjammer ; and our jovial voices at new food and new surroundings, and the
once accord him three cheers and a tiger. rough, half-starved, big-boned brute that
“And I am glad to inform you that the you would some days ago have pitied as
visitors to our port this year have left a useless old cart horse will be trans-
$150 for a ‘Visitors’ Cup.’” Hurrah for formed into the sleek, powerful and cour-
the visitors! and the cheers are re- ageous racer. A few sticks of sugar
peated. cane—of which they are passionately fond
From the “Griffin” Plate, for all horses —a few words of kindness and a little
which have never run before in any race, patting soon change those wild, unkempt
right down to the consolation cup for all animals into docile and pleasant mounts,
beaten ponies, the races are gone care- untirable and surefooted, as they have
fully over, the weights settled, the dis- need to be, seeing that at our picnics
tances determined, the days fixed, and after the races we have to ride up and
every other preliminary settled, a gentle- down the granite steps on the side of the
man (the best-looking one) is detailed to mountains, often ascending and descend-
call upon the ladies-for their contribution ing hundreds of them in the course of a
to the “Ladies’ Purse” (two sovs., Mrs. single ride.
Jones, please), and everyone adjourns to After about a month of morning train-
the bar to take a nightcap. The bar boys ing the horses are considered ready for
are kept busy for ten minutes, the chair the track, which, like the English courses,
coolies are called, and soon the tired is covered with turf and carefully watered
“sports” are being carried home, and a to keep the ground soft and save the ani-
line of dim cheroot lights is all that indi- mals’ legs. Most of the horses are shod
cates the course of the sleepy ones as only on the front feet, many not at all.
they disappear into the quiet night. When they have to do a lot of climbing
In a few days a mat shed is erected on the natives nut rags over the hoof to pre-
the sea beach near the stables, and not vent their slipping on the granite flags.
far from the race course, for it is on the The race track is the parade ground of
fine soft sand that for a month to come the troops, as they call’ the ragamuffins
our horses will do their training. A who are enrolled every time a high man-
coolie is detailed to have hot coffee and darin comes to inspect the “army.” If
delicious bread and butter ready for the he gets a big enough bribe he doesn’t
refreshment of members of the club as inspect at all, and if no bribe is forth-
they return from their early riding. coming at once he makes it so hot for
Our stables are built on the seashore on everybody that they are at last forced to
Amoy Island, to which we have to cross in buy his absence on his own terms. In
the early morning by boat ; so, when the consideration of being allowed to use the
“boy” calls at 5 o’clock in the morning, military drill ground for our races, the
“Massa, blong 5 o’clock !” you feel like mandarins are invited to grace the meet-
heaving a brick at his head, instead of ing with their presence, and on one day at
which you get into long boots, a fur-lined least they always favor us.
coat and riding trousers, and grope your Meantime another meeting has been
way down to your gig, in which you will called at the club, a lottery held and the
in five minutes, with your four stout row- horses drawn—put up to auction. The
ers, reach the stables. Each large house competition is generally very animated,
or “hong” has its own stable, some of and a horse that is looked upon as a
these having twelve or fourteen stalls, “sure thing” will often bring over $1,000

the native scramble race.

a yow first! ah kum second!

370 OUTING FOR AUGUST.

for his chance in each race he is entered has bribed him to make a speedy end of
for. As the eventful race days approach the victim, for a black thin line round the
the interest grows more and more intense, neck showed that he had been strangled.
and the stables are visited at every mo- Before morning the pariah dogs, which
ment of leisure to see how the horses are more wolf than dog, will have torn
stand the training. his poor emaciated body into a thousand
“I say, Ayow, my thinkee that horse pieces. Not long before this a poor crea-
no can chow chow plenty.” ture was crucified here. He was guilty of
“No fear,” replies the horse coolie ; stealing the bangles from a woman re-
“he can chow chow too muchee ; he all cently buried. I had been through the
light, can secure !” hospitals and had helped in the most re-
And so on from day to day, crescendo, volting pieces of surgery without flinch-
diminuendo and da capo. ing, but I had not the courage to go and
But our pleasantest day of all for visit- see this poor wretch suffer. I seemed to
ing our favorites is Sunday. In the after- think I should hear all my lifetime that
noon, after church for the good and tiffin cruel song of the Jews, “Crucifige eum.”
for all, a walk is proposed “over the He was taken night after night, till he
hills” to the course, and several parties died, into the yamun, nailed to his cross.
are sure to meet on those pleasant excur- Ah, those nights!
sions. Sometimes we went to the race ground
One of the ways to the course is by the direct by water, and I recollect on one
“Mandarins’ Walk,” as it is called by for- occasion finding about fourteen or fifteen
eigners. It is a weird road, paved with dead bodies lying near the stables, every-
blocks of stone, running through an im- one with its head cut off. They were
mense graveyard, where the “potted an- pirates, and were executed on the sea
cestors” of many a Chinese family are shore as a warning to all who go down
resting their last sleep, and towered over into the sea in ships. How small they
by rugged boulders of granite, each in looked without their heads! It was a hor-
itself a tombstone of nature. which will rid sight, for already the dogs were eat-
be standing in its place when the graves ing the carcasses. We threw stones to
below have been forgotten for a thousand scare them away, but they seized the
years! heads of one or two, the faces of which
Sometimes we were treated to very hor- they were eating, and ran off to a safe
rid sights as we wended our way to the distance to continue their ghoulish meal.
race course. Sometimes we would meet But I have widely digressed from my sub-
a lot of prisoners being led off to the ject. Let us leave this episode of hor-
execution ground ; their hands fastened rors and return to our more healthy sub-
behind them by hempen strings passed ject— the races. At last the great day
round their thumbs and wetted to keep has arrived, the “joss” house on the
them tight, causing intolerable pain to course has been turned into a grand
the unfortunate wretches. The execution stand, a large paddock is filled with mat
ground is only a little distance off the sheds for the horses, and last, but not
road and is marked by two tall granite least, a splendid tiffin is spread, to which
poles, with a lion carved on the top of we will do full justice after the third race.
each. Here the condemned kneel down, Saddling bell rings, the jockeys scurry
their queues are thrown clear, and one off to the scales to be weighed with their
by one their heads lie rolling on the grass. saddle, bridle and whip, and soon they are
The whole affair is gone through me- prancing up and down before the grand
chanically, no crowd, no fuss. The heads stand, the horses and the Chinese specta-
are then locked up in a box, if the prison- tors half wild with excitement Again
ers have any relatives, as the executioner the bell, and after much trouble the
knows they will be bought back at al- horses are got together, the flag drops
most any sacrifice, to be sewn on to the and off they go for the Griffin Plate,
trunks, in order that they may not appear a mile and a half. Here they come—
in the next world with their heads off. Lactometer and Hultop nearly together,
Another day we saw a poor wretch Rienzi, who started badly, being dis-
lying dead in a crate by the roadside. tanced. Lactometer and his rider pro-
He had been exposed in the sun to die ceed to the scales, and on the steward say-
by thirst. The guard, however, has got ing “all right” a cheer breaks out from
tired of waiting, or perchance some friend those who have won on the race, while the

OUR HORSE RACES IN CHINA.

unfortunates who have lost proceed to the to their appearance which only loses its
temple and drown their regrets in “half a effect when you go nearer to them. For
B. and S.,” or a glass of champagne. then you see the cruel, crafty faces of
these arch rascals—their long, filthy nails
Then follow two more races, and tif- and their dirty surroundings! But we
fin is announced. As there is not room are forgetting the races. After the ladies
enough in the joss house for all to sit and mandarins have gone the members of
down the ladies and the mandarins go in the club take their places, and for half an
first. It is one of the most amusing hour nothing is heard but the clatter of
things in the world to see a man with plates, the popping of champagne corks
finger nails (of the dirtiest) four inches and the chatter of tongues. At last the
long trying to eat lunch with those weap- saddling bell is rung for the next race.
ons of the barbarians. a knife and fork.
They look round imploringly at the smil- And so it goes on till the third day.
ing ladies and try to imitate them, but very All the great events have come off, the
unsuccessfully. They get on better with Challenge Cup, two miles in 4:30 ; the
the champagne, however, of which they Chaasze Cup, one and a half miles in 3:21 ;
are very fond, and, as they consider it the Lady’s Purse, half a mile in fifty-nine
very rude to half empty a glass, they seconds. Considering that the horses
have soon toasted all the ladies in bump- are almost all “Galloways” in height,
ers, and are promptly in a state of the their measurement being from fourteen
most thorough hilarity. At this stage it to fifteen hands, the speed made by
is considered best to hand them cigars them is exceptionally good, especially in
and escort them to their places in the the long races. By this time everyone
grand stand, and over all this festivity is tired out with excitement, exposure to
reigns the “Laughing Buddha.” the sun and the fatigue of riding or stand-
ing on foot all day. But we hear the bell
For is not his likeness, extending over for the last race—the “Native Scramble.”
the back of the temple, looking down The Chinese stable boys are to ride and
upon us? His portrait is not of the we expect some fun. They borrow for
ethereal kind, it is of the earth, earthy. this race one of the tired horses which
In fact it is Chinese. He is fat (which has been running in the meeting., and as
the Chinese admire in men and despise the distance is not long—half a mile—it is
in women), his great bloated body is rare to hear of a mount being refused.
naked to the waist. His swollen eyes, Here they come, decked in all the bright
his bloated lips, his flabby ears and his colors of their masters above, but retain-
huge belly are the admired types of the ing their loose trousers below, which gives
wealthy Chinaman ; and this is their ideal them a very funny appearance. Some
of a god!—the laughing Buddha! We wear heavy Chinese shoes, but the major-
all make fun of him, and his gross ap- ity grip the stirrup with their big toe.
pearance is less out of place on a festive
occasion like this than when a poor, half- At last all are at the post or near it,
starved widow comes to beg him for everyone trying to dodge in front SO as
wealth, fifty cash a day, five cents! Truly, to get a good start. At last down goes
are not wealth and poverty sometimes the flag and away they go, “all over the
strange companions! shop.” Some can ride, some can’t, and
the horses soon discover who can’t and
At a little distance these mandarins, promptly wheel round and carry their dis-
most of whom have the power of life and gusted riders back to the stable. A few
death in their hands, look a most impos- more tumble off, and quite a small field
ing body of men. Their heavy satin arrives at the winning post, showing Mr.
robes, their richly-embroidered breast A Yow first, with ten dollars, and Mr. Ah
plates, their jade stone ornaments, their Kum second, with five dollars prize. The
great felt riding boots, their official hats, winners open their expansive mouths in a
surmounted by the coral or blue button delighted grin, the tired horses are led off
and peacock feathers, altogether com- to their stables, and the races are over.
bined give an air of dignity and richness