The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-26 00:00:00

RACE rum A BULL.

Some forty years ago the managers of a racecourse near
Brownsville, on the Monongahela, published a notice of a
race, one mile heats, on a particular day, for a purse of 100
dole., " free for anythingwith fourlegs and hair on." A man
in the neighbourhood named Hays had a bull that he was in
the habit of riding to mill with his bag of corn, and he deter-
mined to enter him for the race. He said nothing about it
to any one, but he rode him around the track a number of
times on several moonlight nights until the bull had the hang
of the ground pretty well, and would keep the right course.
He rode with spurs, which the bull considered disagreeable ;
so much so that he always bellowed when they were applied to
his sides. On the morning of the race Hays came upon
the ground on horseback—on his bull. Instead of a
saddle, he had dried an ox-hide, the head part of which,
with the horns still on, he had placed on the bull's
rump. He carried a short tin horn in his hand. He
rode .to the judge's stand, and offered. to enter his
bull for the race ; but the owners of the horses that were
entered objected. Hays appealed to the terms of the no-
tice.; insisting that his bull had " four legs, and hair on,"
and that therefore he had a right to enter him. After a
good deal of swearing, the judges declared themselves to be
compelled to decide that the bull had the right to run, and
was entered accordingly.

When the time for airting arrived, the bull and thaliorsos
took their places. The horse racers were out of humour at
being bothered with the bull, and at the burlesque, which
they supposed was intended, but thought that it would be
over as soon as the horses started. When the signal was given
they did start. Hays gave a blast with his horn, and sunk
his spurs into the side of the bull, who bounded on with
a terrible bawl, at no trifling speed, the dried ox-hide flap-
ping up and down and rattling at every jump, making a
combination of noises that had never been heard on a race-
course before. The horses all flew the track, every
one seeming to be seised with a sudden determination
to take the shortest cut to get out of the Redstone country,
and not one of them could be brought back in time to save
their distance. The purse was given to Hays.
A general row ensued ; but the fun of the thing
put the crowd all on the side of the bull. The horse-
men contended that they were swindled out of their
purse, and that if it had not been for Hays' horn and
ox-hide, which he ought not to have been permitted
to bring- upon the ground, the thing would not have been
turned out as it did. Upon this, Hays told them that
this bull could beat any of their horses anyhow, and
if they would put up a hundred dollars against the
purse, he would take off the ox-hide and leave his tin
horn, and run a fair race with them. His offer was
accepted, and the money staked. They again took
their places at the starting post, and the signal was
given. Hays gave the bulr another touch with his
spur, and the bull gave a tremendous bellow. The horses
remembered the dreadful sound, thought all the rest was
coming as before. Away they went again, in spite of all
the exertions of their riders, while Hays gallopped his bull
around the track and won the moaey.—The Weekly Leader
(Toronto).