THE JOSKINS SERIES OF SPORTING STORIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 81

THE JOSKINS SERIES OF SPORTING STORIES.

- By F. DA. C. Pc LTsle. . (Author of .-"Tales, of. Sahib J^and," ."Tales of the 28th 8.L.," ."The Adventures' of a . Turf Detective,'.' "Sport- the World Over," , . . etc, etc.) - .

(All Rights Reserved.)

a- flying? Start.

Tihe-.sfcar. of hope burned in the -bosom. -of Anthonjr.vA.gustus Joskins witn a- brilliancy, that, sirred,..- hifc : ambition ,to- the verge of hardihoods- By what, fortuitous concatenation of .eimimstances. "Jos," or T "Joss.yV.as his intimate Iriexids called him, camev,to .beocane possessed of the id*a that he WS& by nature: fitted to adorn, the pigakia as ? gentleman "rider . I know not. Mayhap the dim recollections of the thrilling ecetasies that surged through hk infantile body when, as a giddy farmer's boy, he was wont to Tide the ancient carthorse of Ms employer to a gasping .standstill after the local fox hounds had imbued' Joskins with the idea that he was a veritable" wonder on a horse.

In his early youth as an orphan Joskins ihad been put out as a farmer's boy, but in later years he had revolted against the menial labour of the ploughboy, and naii sought the dazzling seclusion of a drapery •hancT, behind the eoft-goods counter of the local ettiporKirn. Joskins put in seven solid years "there -on 25 shillinga a week, and in. those seven years, he managed to save some ..two hundred, pounds. He often itched to invest a guinea on the local livery stable hunter, and have- a flutter with the countypack, more especially when the houndsjpassed down the village sfereef to some Bear-by meet. But prudence, of a kind, ■was & strong point with. Joskins, and he refrained regretfully 'from such extravaganfpleasures. Nevertheless he nursed th© delicious 'idea that some day' ho would break loos© from- the bonds of slayer y- and blossom out- in alt the. glory of a hunting man and a- ; gentleman rider. Unfortu' nately Joskins, who, I have, just stated, ■was prudent and economic, could- not bring: irimoelf to cufc adrift from- the emporium, end he might have gone on dreaming of future turf_ glories until now had be not bee sacked for neglect of has duties. Once he got his "jawab" Joskins did not hesitate. He plunged into the quicksands of ownership with the lighthearted buoyancy and abandon of a millionaire. . He first bought, a cheap hunter, and tried three days a- week with the iWorlds-hire Worriers. His. success was inconspicuous, and Ms hunting was mainly confined to the roads. Once his erratic

steed shied at a motor-car,, and jumped a six-foot drain into- some ploughed land. Joskins" described a demi- volte in the air, and landed on. mother earth on his face.

•It appeared to Joskins "that his last day had arrived, and that, he was buried six feet underground, with his eyes, ears, -nose, and ,mouth full of soft, black soil. It >-wae 'many hours before Joskins could see with- any certainty, and the taste of ploughed land remained with him for many ' days. His fiery Bucephalus was galloping round" the ploughed field like a caged animal. Now and then he gazed sorrowfully oveT the fence, as if inwardly regretting his precipitancy in hopping over into imprisonment. It took Joskins the best part of two hours to catch his'steed, and when all was over nis own mother would not-have known him, so dilapidated ■was -his appearance. The friendly "gate, which luckily happened to be open, let theni out of the plough, and Joskins sorrowfully rode home in the deepening twilight. Arrived at his miniature hunting box he 'surrendered his Jiunter to the groom, that he employed- with the laconic " order : "Take him to the fair to-moxrow and .sell him.fo? «*bat he will fetch!" "Did- he .give.ye a burster, sorr?" asked •the ' nonplussed Irish groom. "He's too bouncy for me!" replied Joskins, .mournfully, as he limped painfully away. ' . But with a nice hot dinner and a steaminc bowl of punch to follow came the time of roses, and' Joskins began dreaming. That dTain must have been all of twenty feet, and the hedge before it a rasper of quite five feet! What a terrific jump! IWbat a. magnificent performance ! One •worthy to rank with Chandler's jump at ■Warwick! There was not a doubt about it, thought Joskins. He was the possessor of nothing short of a grand national candidate. He' had just -absorbed his. fourth glass of punch when the knowledge of, it came to him, and with a "Yoieks^ Gone Away !" that made the -punch, bowl Tattle on the ta&le/ he sprang to his feet and yelled loudly for "Con! Con, the groom aforementioned, entered deferentially, cap in hand, and was promptly invited to sample the punch. JThen dia Joskins Tegale the Irishman with tales of his wonderful prowess in the 6addle, and of the magnificent fencing powers of his hunter. Con absorbed much punch, and "cordially endorsed bis master's opinions as to the capabilities of Rocket, the hunter, and Mr Joskins, his- owner. Between them they arranged a full and complete -programme for the future career of Rocket. ' He was to be put into training at once, with a view to picking up one ox two hunters' races,, prior to his- appearance at Aintree, in the next Gfrand

Kational .Steeplechase. Tile 'following .nnirning Joskins, with a very k bad headache, and with pains all over him, was aroused from a disturbed slumber by Con, tie groom, who inquired with especial emphasis: "Are yez going to "ride wurruk this moraine, Sorr?" Joskins gradually recalled the arrangeaneiits of'tneinighV before/ and it dawned upon him t that , matters of stupendous moment were impending. He hastily arose «nd donned his , clothes, ..and accompanied Con to the., stables. Rocket, evidently none " the , worse for ~ the previous day's hunting, looked inquisitively at the intrtsSeTS. Joskins did not -like that loo£"j he had' 1 seen "it fob often tfce day

before to encounter it again with equanimity. "I — I — don't feel up to riding work this morning, Con," he murmured pensively ; "I'm too stiff ! Perhaps you had better take the horse out and give him some sound half-pace work, eh?" .-Con, Irish Eke,- was -eager for the job, and^jyith'in ' half .. an hour he departed,' astride- o|« Rocket, to give .the b.wn.t'e,r hjs. .first training gallop. , ... When he returned, - in- an hour and a ■ half, nis -charge '.was wet vrith.foa-m, andhis bellows, heaved like a stormy sea. Not since' he had -become the property of : Anthony- Augustas Joskins had Rocket- escsxtch -a doing as- tie got at the nands of Con, the. Irish groom. Hie horse was very gross, and he had never been -really galloped by Joskins. "He is perspiring dreadfully !" murmured Joskins, as he gazeel on the moist - form of Rocket. • "Shure, -it's just pwhat he wants, sorr,' - said Con, with hearty emphasis, as he took the saddle off and started in to dry thehunter: "He's as fat as the sheriff's pig, a.i if Oi don't rim it aff ay him. yell niver win a race on him from now till doomsday !" Joskins retired to ponder over the wisdom of his groom. He referred to one or two books on stable management tha* adorned his library shelves. There he discovered what condition in horseflesh meant, and he resolved to let Con do all the riding work for the future. Con was only too delighted to oblige -^his master, and many a merry gallop he had on Rocket over the fences and ditches of the Wold country. Rocket also appeared to benefit by the training, for presently •his ribs began to show out, and hia muscles took on that round, hard look that ( betoken much exercise aaid' strenuous . galloping. Occasionally ' Joskins was allowed to bestride his fiery steed and have a gallop over good grass after the local pack. Also, Con. took him in hand for an aour every morning, and, mounting him on Rocket, taiight him how to sit tight over his fences. Poor Joskins made a bad pupil. Try as he might, he could not help but show yards of daylight between himself and the pigskin when Rocket hoisted himself into the air. An dins legs would . swing- forward on ■•*. level with Roclcet's head, instead of remaining glued, from the knees downwards, to the saddle flaps. True, he managed to remain on the horse,, but that was all. Con would never lay even money with any degree of certainty as to the portion of Rocket's anatomy on which Joskins would descend after negotiating a ■ fence ; and Joskins himself acknowledged that he was rapidly developing into an acrobat of a high-class order. "Mver moind, sorr !" Con would exclaim after a more than usually exciting exhibition on the part of his master. "The Lard be praised, ye're game ; an.' thot's wurrth a fortin' to a gentilmin rider L Thry again, sorr ! - Thry again ! Yez'll lam to stick by 'em by !" Therefore it came to pass, that by the end of the hunting season Joskins had learned to negotiate .hurdles, hedges, andf ditches with some degree of certainty and safety, also Eocket was as hard a-s a keg full of tenpenny nails, thanks to the assiduous attentions of the- sport-loving Irish groom. The Woldshire Worriers always wound up their hunting season with point-to-point steeplechase, and the gathering on these occasions, was great, and savoured, oil a mild soale, of a hunt club race iagAs arranged with Con months beforehand, Joskins entered Rocket in the ' Point-to-Point Steeplechase for hunters up to eleven stone, catch weights. Joskins himself was a .diminutive mortal of about five feet five inches, weighing, in good condition, about ten stone. Con reckoned, anyhow, to send his master to the starting post, on a ten-pound saddle, weighing within a few ounces of the limit. „ 1 When the eventful day arrived both ' Joskins and Con were in a ferment of , excitement. Joskins was excited because ' he was nervous; he had a sinking feel- j ing in the region of his stomach, and his ' heart thumped 1 against his waistcoat. Con was excited with the exuberance of the fun and sport-loving nature of the true , Irishman. He had got Rocket as fit as j flddlestrings, and it would have been . difficult to decide whether there was a more brilliant lustre on the coat of the J hunter or on his master's resplendent tops, all due to the -untiring energy of Con. <c Oi presume yez'll . be fur backin' yer . mount, sorr?" asked Con, persuasively, as j he accompanied Joskins, on Rocket, to the , rendezvous. j "Well, what do you think?" asked s Joskins, palpitating with nervous excite- . ment. 1 "Saure, sorr,. it'ud be onnateral to lave | him go widout. a shUlin' on him! An' him fchrained to the hour, too ! If, be the grace ay Providence, ye can set him over the brook the race is ours ! Shure, sorr, a little pony, or maybe a cinthery ["century" Con meant], ud be the roight thing;, to do by him!" Con had spent his youth in many a poverty-cursed Irish racing stable, and though his heart was more than eager for a- desperate plunge, .he spoke in a tone of added reverence when he suggested so stupendous a wager as that of a century. The natural prudence of Joskins suggested a pony - f twenty-five- pounds would not break him ; but four times that amount would be a serious matter to him if he lost, and he shied badly at the idea. "Do you think I can beat Silly Sally and S-nr Hector?" he asked anxiously. "Shure, yez can, sorr!" replied Con, disdainfully ; "they're only halfbred, and the wan's a poor jumper. Be this an' be that, ye've only the docther's mare, Molly, to fear, an 'shure didnt Oi lave her standin' be" thie very same brook last weelT! Look it here, sorr, ye've got the gameness ay onld boots, an' if ye just go ahead an' kape becbune the flags, yell come in by yeaself, ye will. 'Tis a matter , ay foive pounds O'ive saved from me wagesj,]

an' ehure ivery thrauneen ay it Olm puttin' an j-er horse! It's loike pickin' up gould, an' 'twould be a sin to Providence not t'havo a cicthery an him!" Con gi-e weloquent as lie w&rmed to his work, and gradually " Joskin's began to 'catch the 'fever.- They reached' tKe start- :> ihg £oint; "and 'found all ' tbe county pretty tfrell assfem'bred-'there.-~-Hofsemeni carriages/ -motor -caM; lifcyclfe;- ''aid 1 "foot'"' passengei^s were there" in 7 their" hundw-ds j" " and tbe-'~soene resembled a country fair more than anything. ThereV'was a bi» • "gathering -of - the- "betting . brigade, 'anS I--- ' bookmakers, in loud uniforms, standing! * on boxes, were already yelling out the odds in loud and raucous tones. ..- Hyar-.y.'are! .Four to one 1 the -feeald !' lour to- one- bar .one.' Four to one ba-ar o^ ! cr ?, iy§ to one Si* -Hector i- Sir- -to oneSilly gaily f Ten to one the oThers !" were. tne cries that.. greeted .-Joskiins.a&: he. dismounted near the starting^flag. - "Shure, ihey'i-e not making us the fav-rite t th' ojnadiiauns?" gasped Con.^ ■with anguJsh. "I don't know,*' replied Joskins, handing the reins to his groom; "I'll find out who-, the barred one is." 1 "Thry a drop ay' the crature, yer 'anner !" • said Oon, producing Joskink's homting flash, and handing it persuasively to its owner ; "Yez'll just want the smallest taste to put the foighting spirit in yez!" Joskins- took a pretty liberal pull at the flask, and walked away with a. feeling of eaihilaration creeping xrp altvovex him. In a few minutes he had learnt that the doctor's mare, Molly, was -the favourite at even money, and that Socket was quoted amongst the 10 to one lot. Hia heart, leaped' within him. Ten to one to a hundred meant a thousand pounds ! Why should he not win! Oon was a good judge, and ICon swore, that Rocket could win. Yes, he would spoil these silly 1 Egyptians, and show the world that • Anthony Augustus Joskins was ay very 1 great horseman. He inquired of the ! M.F.H. foT the name of a reputable bookmaker. The M.F.H. laughed derisively. He was an opulent brewer, and he- had a- - poor opinion, of Joskins's- prowess in the saddle. "What'; going to back your own mount, Joskins?" he asked, sarcastically j "A fiver each way, eh! old man?'* Joskins bridled perceptibly. He was" very touchy when bis vanity, was in question, and he did not like trie tone of tbe M.F.H. "I want to have a hundred f on at tens ; I see they are offering tens about my horse !" replied Joskins. , "Great Scott,!" muttered .the M.F.H. Here was, a g-6^ and no, mistake .' This silly. ' duffer thought ne could win a point-to-point with the pick of the. Worriers against 1 him ! What & chance to collar his hundred J pounds! 1 It was the softest bet &■& }iad j ever had! ' 'I'll lay you a thousand to a hundred 1 that you don't win{" said the M.F.H. j in a loud and.' lordly tone, as' he smiled around to the other members of the hunt J who clustered about him. j "Oh ! done !'* said 'Joskins, hastily, hi® , nervousness coming on hini again ■with tenfold" foroe. "Er, I'll book" the wager!" j "Please do," answered the M.'F.H. with : a guffaw ; "I'll do so, too," and he pen- • ciUed into hie betting book the -wager, reading aloud as. 'he dm : ' "A thousand pounds to a hundred "against Mt JosHns!"' j Joskins returned gloomily to Con, who had all the market quotations at hisfingers' ends. ' n ' " ' "Shure, they're layin' tin to wan v 'our horse!" be gasped; "an' Oi've taken, fifty j pounds to foive about him, sorr ! Arrah ! j Yez must win. now, sorr ! Me fortin' depends an''yer-"' ' " -' ' " j _^'I've taken a thousand pounds to a hundred "about him, Con," said Joskins de- j spondently ; "if I lose to-day I 6ball be pretty well broke 1" "Nivec think ay' it, 6orr!" said Con, gleefully. "Didn't Oi say 'twas the- game j -wan ye was ! Yez must kape the lade from , start to finish. Th' ould horse can gallop j tin miles', much less four! Kape him ! going, an' yez'll bave 'em all foundered lore half the race is gone!" Littlevdid the sportive Con know how truly he -was prophesying the result. He poured some more jumping powder into his master, and then assisted him to weigh out. The list Hunters' PoinWo-Pbint was the first Tace of the day. There were 18 starters assembled to contest the race. Joskins had got the simplest of orders from ' Con. "Go- to the front and keep^there! And mind ye go bechune the flags L" Those were the simplest t&at he could get, Con thought. As soon as the starter appeared' all the horsemen, motor-cars, bikes, and carriages began to move off to points of vantage along- the line of the. race. As the starter dropped his, fla-g a motor-car tyre exploded right alongside Rocket with a, terrific bang.. Rocket had n-ever quite got over the fright of th* purple motor-car. On. the -instant that he . heard that bang he was off, and away he went at top speed as if the devil was after him. Joskins, hanging on for dear life, let him go, and • in a couple of hundred yards- Rocket had put 20. lengths between) himself and, the field, and was increasing his lead at every stride. Joskins grasped the pommel of his saddle with a gasping "uod bless my soul!" and-surrenderedfrhimself to fate; and Rocket took that field along at a bat that ran them completely off their legs in the first mile. Joskins had survived two blackthorn hedges, three post-and-rails, and a nasty open drain, all taken in a fly by the frightened Rocket in some strangely miraculous manner, and as he still found himself in the saddle he began to take a greater interest in mundane things j than heretofore. He loosed his clutch of the pommel, and grabbed his reins in both, hands. He found Rocket, although still going strong and well, amenable to guidance ; and his heart' thrilled "within him -aa he steadied his impetuous horse ai; a ', stake and bound, with a drain on the take-off 6ide, and founds himself f lifted neatly:' fiieanly over, as Rocket bounced away" at rull Bpeed/ "The'rest of'tne com- , petitors were two fields behind, dreadfully !• pounded, .and reduced^ half their numbers.

the flying- start that Rocket had got away with had v ..completely demoralised the redoubtable followers of the Wol<lsMre "Worriers. Over the road double Joskins, very •nearly -parted company with his racing steed; |ieManded^-*3|sr\.Kocket'£ neolt^ovel^ -■ the first <fedge^c^saes^the road in the same p^itibn,-xoicl wasJffi«%J>ack into the saddle jfc Rocked w*e:-at^n§^copa- Hedge.--With tfienstg|gJtJ& J^iifee^fflgitioa^Josk'in^ •' el utcheot ? rai;<tiJiri& saved: ".fie~ -lost WsSshinyegell^glj^^d got a.-naety .smack accccs tn©^atsffjt*§HFan ove?l[ajigi9g"! : branch JhiJ drew-S^Scf?'' But <taskus6^vras7 s.growin^ cooler with every, fence' hfrcrfi^edr^ and hie a w.liole "soul tfo^ : "^eltse§.' a fia."lfliie-n detei'mination to .fin "that thousand pqunds| Thus are our grea&ast men. njad«. -.Jc^kintfhad"turn€^'-for.hdmei^ie-]£heV-that ..and there-w«s"note.aiH)^ier.j:idejEuiii»6igh*s* Only<«jse-^r«»B-TO.il€-fc? goysadrtfeelreaded^ 1 brook to be crossed, and safely oyer that .pc was.-a^inaarV'inan" TheV'^ere galKp-^' mg sli^jj;ly down hill and Rocket was begiiuiingjto show signs of fatigue. His pace was perfeeptibly slackening, but he still gallopefcresolutely. How Joskins blessed Con forgetting the horse so very fit. He pulled fern into a canter, and so got over ', a coupli of fences and another half-mile of the course. That was Rocket's salvation. The "e&ay" enabled Ijjm. get bis. second wind and whenrJAslttn^ p|tflSh©^teaiM'"6si and rammed him' at the 'brook he fhiiig himself into tlie'-air like a battering ram and took the bipok, flj-ink,-;landing .^rith feet to r ag?ar«g? tremendoHs lift from Rocbet'g hindquarters s«nt hto up, up into the air to a distance* which -seem.-ejd somewher.e't-ir^rity feet, and when &e^ame^owh''l?ocKe^ ;:i wl^t thefef-Joskins^laibded-.-wiihi a- teiriaQ- splash in^fche:brook, and after a painful immersion of about a minut© he rose -gasping to the surface, and swam to the oank. Despera1 ,tion seized him : the thousand pounds, his own hundred were vanishing from sight! iHe clambered t up the, ttonk, .intact oxt catch- ! ing Rocket. &. -welcome sight met 1 Mb :gaze. Con* on tbe cob, was leading Rocket back to.Hine brook. "Ah! ahur«, an' blessed be the powers, yer'e a sorr! t>i thought^maybe ye'd be in. throuble, here -an.' 30 Oi rode, along! Jump, on, sort! Jump' on J Shure y« must wfe; navrV\ r> " ' As Joskins clambered into the saddle, the doctor. on-Mo]ly dead_.heat trotted up' to' the other side of, jhe" brook. But try ,ac he .rould4^e! ; aiar© ,'would-.n«fc faoe-tjoa, jump, '-f- -^ z%* .*/"^, " ""'' i > ~\"'+ ii ?}■" "Be mbMrs; E©/s> 4oneJ"^sKouted €xultaa^j X ; *'"iide£> on," 'sbrr j'^ride iaiddy t~ There's nothin* ia fear f"^ - - Nor v^as there. Going at a nice easy - canter Joskias finished alone, to the jubila-' tion of ffie bookmakers, the chagrin of the | Woldshire Worriers, and the open disgust l of their M.F.H. j And tfiat night as Joskins and Con, ' standing- on their chairs, with on© foot on j the table, drank success to Rocket, that" j magnificent hunter, Con remarked sententiously, c-ijas he drained Ms tumbles ,of , pUn-oh : ', • | "Shure! It's the good horse he is; but i 'twas the flyin' start that did it ! They [was all~;|pundex^.. t bj- the ± Flyin.' Start I.