Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-09-10
A CHINESE ASCOT.
Racing That Is Beneath Criticism
Ponies from Australia and Japan,

I
Ponies from Australia and Japan.
The Hong Kong race week, writes
a correspondent of an English paper,
is one of those rare occasions when
the Chinese come out of tAeir swarm
ing anti~hills, habitually SO difficult
OF penetration to strans ers. When, in
the afternoon of the cup day, I des-
cended FROM a residence halfway up
the peak-the tiful harbor, and con-
trasting with the hot Tartarus of the
town. find the broad, handsome,
healthy, cool elysium overlooking the
beaumain road taken possession of
for miles by swiftly circulating mass
of chattering, pig-talled, and most I'M
canny looking Chinese, with their
equally strange looking vehicles.
Their means of passenger transport
are two the light, covered armchair.
carried by means of bamboo poles on
the shoulders of two coolies, and the
rickshaw, or two wheeled vehicle
about the size of roomy bath chair,
furnished with a pair of shafts, be-
tween which is placed, not a horse, a
mule, pony, Or even a donkey, but
one of those increasingly toiling Chi
nese who are of the opinion that no
labor is too severe, and not even
draught work is derogatory, if there
are few cents to be looked for at the
end. Trot, trot. trot along the smooth,
sunny, but bamboo-shaded high road,
[ have little leisure now to observe
those astonishing rickshaw coolies.
The first sensations at being conveyed
in rickshaw are those of mingled
amusement and shame. One lkens
oneself to drunken masquerader or
to an ostentatieus buffoon. Here we
are at the entrance to the grand stand.
My cooley almost grovels on the
ground in his ectasy of delight at re-
ceiv;ng tenpehce for the performance
of labor which would lay up most
athletes for week, and hasten off in
quest of new but probably less profit
able fare. The saddling bell rings,
the numbers are hoisted, a thud of
hoofs announces the preliminary can
ter. Well what of the racing. Be
meath criticism, almost beneath con-
tempt. The ponies are from Australia,
Japan, or Chefoo-dobtless serviceable
| for the work of their respective coun-
tries, but as racers, wretched, weedy,
groggy, understood brutes; while the
chief feature to be noticed of the
amateur jockeys are the paraphers
MALTA of their business, the preposter>
Gus length of their legs, their heavy
weights, their horse-coping idiosyn>
crasies, and their Indifferent riding. I
bought very average type OF racer
for f6 los. In fact, the sport is mere
ly a peg on which to hang the love of
gambling, which, like the love of
drink, runs very high in this part of
the world. Innumerable and bigh>
prize lotteries are started, and three
legged screws are merely bought and
entered on the off chance of winning
ths stakes, which, in addition, are
very considerable. While bordering
on the scene my attention is sudden
ly aroused by an unwonted hum,
hustle, and excitement among the
Chinese mob. A race is in course of
being run, but to this incident they
are habitually very Indifferent
Something unusual is certainly
arousing them. Here comes the
horses. How queer the jockeys look :;
| LIZ" Soi onSOAJ ohOJ cSiO huuCuCu u u {,
how wildly they throw their arms
about; how fercely they fog; what
diabolieal faces-and, bless my heart,
why, they have got pigtails streaming
in the windi The puzzle is explained.
1t is a race ridden under special ar
range nents by Chinese ''mafoos," or
gooms-the best race of the meeting,
the only one which has caused any
real enthusiasm. Reused by the half
laughter, half cheers of their white
masters, stimulated by the cries of
their fellow>countrymen $50 it,
Fordham !" once heard an encourag-
ing Chinese lad shout-the mafoosas,
they finish" up then, Walpurgis ride
wild with excitement, seem to have
lost still farther their semblance to
humanity, and to be transformed into
distorted-visaged, horribly frenzied
demons. The race over, how they
strutted about in all the pride OF jockey
caps and jackets, and how they chung
to their costume to the last possible
| moment