The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-01-31
A POEM FOR A SCRAP.BOOK.
How We Beat the FavOrite.

A LAY OF THE LOAMsnIRE HUNT CUP.
1.-THE following poem, which some claim to
be the best description of a horae ritce ever
written, is by Adam Lindsay Gordon, the
most popular of Australian poets. The
author, who was the son of an English officer,
was lf-exiled TO Australia. lie was OF IL
melancholy temperament, Ike Poe and
Richard Realf. He was young and in the full
tide of literary success when he was found
dead in the bush-shot by his own hand. IL
| is unnecessary to add that the author of the
! following was himself an amateur stceple-
chase rider:1
Aye, SQUIRE" said Stevens, "they back him
The race is all over bar shouting they say;
The Clown ought to beat her; Dick N.ville is
sweeter
Than ever-he swears he can win all the
way.
"a gentleman rider-well, I'm an outsider,
But Il hee gent who the mschicfs II jock?
You ewellS mostly blunder. Dick rides for
the plunder,
He rides, too, like thunder-he sits like a
rock.
HE calls hunted fairly horse that has
barely
Been striPp'd for trot within sight of the
A horse that at Warwick beat Birdlime and
And gave Abdelkader at Aintree nine
pounds.
Dick rides for Lord and stands in with a
steward:
The light of their faces they show him his
case is
Prejudged and his verdict already secured.
But none can outlast her, and few travel
faster,
She strides in her work clean away from the
drag;
You hold her and sit her. she couldn't be
Whenever you hit her she'll spring like
stag.
"And p ibaps the green jacket, at odds though
they bnck it,
May fall or there's no knowing what may
The mare is quite ready, sit still and ride
Keep cool; and think you may just win
the Cup"
for the tussle,
Stood Iseult, arching her neck to the curb.
A lean head and fiery, strong quarters and
wiry,
A loin rather light. but a shoulder superb,
Some parting injunction, bestowed with great
JUNCTION,
tried to recall, but forgot like Ounce,
When Reginald Murray. full tilt on White
Came down in hurry to start us at once
Keep back in the yellowl Come up on
OthellOl
Hold hard on the chestnut Turn round on
Keep back there on spartanl Back you, sir,
in tartan!
So, steady there, easy" and down went the
flag.
We started. and Kerr made strong running on
Mermaid,
Through burrows that led to the first stake
and bound,
The crack. half extended, look'd bloodlike
and splendid,
Held wide on the right where the headline
was sound.
1 pulled hard to battle her rush with the
snaffie,
-. Before her two-thirds of the field got away,
All through the wet pasture where floods of
Still Ioitercd, they clotted my crimson with
clay.
The fourth fence, a waffle, hoor'd Monk
and BluebOttle;
The Drag came to grief at the blackthorn
The rails toppled over Redoubt and Red
Rover,
The lane stopped Lycurgus and Leicester
She passed like an arrow Kildare and Cock
And Mantrap and Mermaid refused the
stone wall:
And Giles on the Greyling came down at the
paling.
And was left sailing in front of them all.
l took them burster, nor ceased her nor
Until the Black Bullfnch led into the
plough,
And through the strong bramble we bored
with a scramble
My cap was knocked off by the hazol-tree
bough.
Where burrows looked lighter 1 drew the
rein tighter
Her dark chest all dappled with flakes of
Her fanlSs mud bespattered. a weak rail she
shattered
We landed nturf with our heads turn'd for
y, home,
rI,L -. = 49, b;.lo. Al. 49,
The sward to the strokes of the favorite
sh0okl
His RUSH reused her mettle yet ever so little
She shorten'd her stride as we raced at the
brook.
She rose whenI hit her. I saw the stream
glitter,
Between sky and water the Clown came and
caught her..
The space that he cleared was n caution to
sec.
A length to the front went the rider in
A long strip of stubble. and then the big
Two stifr flights of rails with a quickest be-
tween.
She raced at the rasper, felt my knees grasp
found my hands give to her strain on the
She rose when the Clown did-our silks as we
bounded
Brush'd lightly, our stirrups clash'd loud as
we lit.
A rise steeply sloping, fence with stone
The iast-we diverged round the base of the
His path was the nearer. his leap was the
hogg'd up the straight. and he led sitting
She came to his quarter, and on still brought
And up to his girth. to his breast-plate che
| A short prayer from Neville just reached me
"The DEVIL"
He mutter'd-lock'd level the hurdles We
flew.
| A hum of hoarse cheering, dense crowt
All sights seen obscurely. shouts vaguely
..The green winsr' "The crimsonP The
multitude swims on,
And figures are blended and features arr
blurr'd.
"The horse is her master?' 1.-The greer
..The Clown will outlast herI" '"The Clowr
wins" 1.-The ClownT'
| The white railing races with all the whit
| The chestnut outpaces, outstretches the
| brown.
On still past the gateway she strains in th'
| Still struggles, .'The Clown by short necl
at tmost"
| He swerves the green scOurges, the stan,
| rocks and surges,
And flashes, and verges, and fits the white
| post.
Ayei SO ends the tussle-I knew the tai
| muzZle
Was first, though the ring-men were yelling
| Dead heatl
A nose could swear by, but Clarke said 18th
| mare by
1 was beat"
L r.zS&oI G;,.,fln