Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-10-25
FROsTBURG, OCTOBER 25

were taken out dead; three were badly
hurt, and Brunt was among the three.
He told the story of the Maribyrnong
Plate sometimes, and when he described
how Whalley on Red Hat said, as the
mare fell under him: God ha' mercy,
Pm done fort" and how. next instant,
Silhre There and White Otter had
crushed the life out of poor Whalley and
tie dust hid small hell of men and
h rS,'S no one marvelled that Brunt had
dr p2ed jump races and Australia to-
getner. Regula Baddun's owner knew
that story by heart. Brunt never varied
it in the telling. He had no education.
Shackle' came to the Chedputter au-
tumn races one year, and his owner
walked about insulting the sportsmen of
Chedputter generally, till they went to
the honorary secretary and sad: "Ap-
point handicappers, and arrange a race
which shall break Shacllles and humble
the pride of his owner" The districts
rose against Shackles and sent up of
their best: Ousel, who was supposed to
be able to do his mile in l. SO; Petard,
the stud bred, trained by a cavalry regi-
ment who knew how to train; Gringalet,
the eve lamb of the 18th; BobQJink, the
pride of Peshawar, and many others.
They called that race the Broken, Link
handicap, because it was to smash
Shackles and the handicappers piled on
the weights, and the fund gave 800
rupees, and the distance was "round the
course for all horses. Shackles' owner
said: you can arrange the race with re-
gard to Shackles only. So long as you
don't bury him under weight cloths,
don't mind. Regula Baddun's owner
said: Il throw in my mare to fret Ousel.
Six furlongs is Regula's distance, and
she will then lie down and die. So also
will Ouse, for his jockey doesn't under
stand Il waiting race" Now, this was a
lie. for Regula had been in work for two
mo tbs at Dedra, and her chances were
G ,d, always supposing that Shackles
bro ie a blood vessel-or Brunt moved
on him.
The plunging in the lotteries was fine.
They filled 5000 rupee lotteries on the
Broken Link handicap, and the account
in the Pioneer said that "favoritism was
divided. In plain English, the various
contingents were wild on their respective
horses, for the handicappers had done
their work well. The honorary secretary
shouted himself hoarse through the din,
and the smoke of the cheroots was like
the smoke of battle, and the rattling of
the dice boxes like the rattle of small
arm fire
Ten horses started-very level-and
Regula Baddun's owner cantered out on
his back to place inside the circle of
the course, where two bricks had been
thrown. He faced toward the brick
mounds at the lower end of the course
and waited.
The story of the running is in the
Pioneer. At the end of the first mile,
Shackles crept out of the ruck, we'll on
turn, lay hold of the bit, and spin up the
straight before the others knew he had
got away. Brunt was sitting still,
perfectly happy, listening to the drum,
drum, drum, of the hoofs behind, and
knowing that, in about 20 strides,
Shackles would draw one deep breath,
and go up the last half mile like the
Flying Dutchman. AS Shackles went
short to take the turn, and came abreast
of the brick mound, Brunt heard, above
the noise of the wind in his ears, whin
ing waling voice on the offside saying
God ha' mercy, Pm done for. ;" In one
stride, Brunt saw the whole seething
smash of the Marlbyrnong Plate before
him, started in his saddle and gave one
yell of terror. The start brought the
heels into Shackles' side, and the scream
hurt Shackles' feelings. He couldn't stop
dead; but he put out his feet and slid
along for fifty yards, and then very
gravely and judicially, bucked off Brunt
"a shaking terror stricken lump, while
Regula Baddun made a neck and neck
race with Bobolink up to the straight,
and won by short head-Petard bad
third. Shackles' owner, in the stand,
tried to think that his field glasses had
gone wrong. Regula Baddun's owner,
waiting by the two bricks, gave one
deep sigh of relief, and cantered back
and bets, about $4,000.
1t was Broken-link Handicap with
vengeance. 1t broke nearly all the men
concerned, and nearly broke the heart of
Shackles' owner. He went down to inter-
view Brunt The boy lay, livid and
gasping with fright, where he had
tumbled off. The sin of losing the race
never seemed to strike him. All he
knew was that Whalley had "called"
him, that the "call was warning; and,
were he cut in two for it, he would
never get up again. His nerve had gone
altogether, and he only asked his master
to give hive him a good thrashing, and
let him 60. He was fit for nothing, he
said. He got his dismissal, and crept up
to the paddock, white as chalk, with
blue lips, his knees giving way under
him. People said nasty thin"s in the
paddock; but Brunt never ] eed l. He
changed into tweeds, took his stick and
went down the road, still shaking with
fright, and muttering over and over
again: God ha' mercy, Pm done for!"
To the best of my knowledge and belief
he spoke the truth.
So now you know how the Broken
link Handicap was run and won. OF
course you don't believe it. You would
credit anything about Russia's designs
on India, or the recommn nndations of the
currency commission; but little bit of
sober fact is more than you can stand!
-[Rudyard Kipling.
len men with drills operated by elec.
tricity, it is said, can take out As much
ore, and tunnel as far as 100 men with
picks, shovels, and blastin; m lterial,