The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-21
CHAPTER |.
OLIAI 7 LIT l.
THE WALKING MATCH.

which a man, with his loins grit UP and
stripped to his shirt and trousers, is walking
rapidly and doggedly. He is followed by a
little knot Of people apparently interested
In his proceedings, one of whom
walking by his side, continually consults
his watch; indeed. the whole party seem
extremely anxious as regards the time. The
man, stripped of his coat, looks worn,
travel-stained, and bears signs of WEAKNESS.
II be is walking fast there can also be little
ltnbt from the set defiant expression in his
9 that he is walking in no little difficulty.
0m time TO time he throws q mute glance
b his companion, who usually responds
eth much the same formula:
o'Never fear, old boy-youll do it all
ght; all you have got to do is to keep on
talking and think of nothing else. Pm
doing the thinking for you. You have got
a mile to do every fourteen minutes, and
you will just win clever!"
When Hugh Fleming three evenings ago
licked himself to walk fifty miles in twelve
ours, without training, the whole mess
bile laughed. The brother officer who laid
go to one against bis doing it, good-natur-
ely offered TO scratch the bet any time
firing the evening. 1t seemed perfectly
.Isurd that Fleming should perform any
such feat as this. A man who had shown
SO far not the slightest taste
for athletics - who rarely played
cricket, never played racquets. and with
the exception of an occasional country
walk, for the most part took his exercise
round billiard table. He had never been
known Co walk match, and when this one
was made said that he had never done such
a thing before. His comrades all laughed
at him, and with that candor which close
Intimacy confers. babe him, mot make a
tool of himself. but cry off his bet before it
was too late
There was one exception to the popular
feeliDg-there invariable is-and this was
Tom Bying, Jennings most intimate friend
Bying maintained a rigid silence as to what
he thought of the affair, and even when APP
pealed to declined to express any opinion
thereon. he was asTnan who was rather an
authority among his fellows on all matters
OF sport, whether with rod or with gun,
whether on the race course or on the cinder
track, and his brother officers were not a lit
tleanxious to ascertain what be might think
OF this foolish wager. But, no, neither at the
dinner-table nor in the ante-room after
ward could he be induced to express his
views. Until Fleming had retired for the
night be smoked silently, aud in answer to
all inquiries as TO what he thought of the
match, merely shrugged bis shoulders and
replied: II don't know; | never saw him
walk in earnest" But no sooner had
Fleming retired than, throwing the end of
his cigar into the fire, he turned round to
the layer of odds and said:
"lf you would like to have little more
money against Fleming, Brydon, you can
lay me 9100 to ESQ.,"
lyon may put it down, !" replied the other,
'if you will tell me what you are going
on"
Willingly. Unless he is very vain it is
always very dangerous to bet against a
man who backs himself, besides, when we
were quartered at Portsmouth l once saw
Fleming, for joke, do thing which,
though believe no great feat would puzzle
any man in this room to perform"
You recollect at one end of the cricket
ground there was skittle alley, and after
play, or when their side was in, men would
sometimes have a turn at that fine old
English game. Precious buffers at it too
they were for the most part Fleming was
In there one day, chatting couple of men
who were playing. When one had finished.
he puE up the pins again aud said. "Now if
you fellows can play let's see you take those
down, one pin at a time, that is the nine
pins in nine shots. You mustn't upset two
at time remember or you will not have
done what mean"
Bah said one of the men, do it? OF
NNuA % l. Scu YOU GlLueT. VIII law Won
ten to one you can't do it.
think / can,' replied Fleming,
quietly, although it isn't easy. You shall
lay me ten to one in shillings,' and to our
establishments Fleming proceeded to accom-
plish the feat.
II didn't know he could play skittles.
and most certainly don't know that he can
walk. but he might-Pm backing him on
the off,"
Such were the events which had led ND to
tho match now taking place. Fleming had
started at in the morning, accompanied
only by two brother officers, one of whom
was acting rs umpire.
When he had accomplished his first twelve
miles in two hours and a half and then
stopped to breakfast, these gentlemen
thought that he would win his wager easily.
But the pace was too good to last, and when
Byng arrived just as Fleming was finishing
his thirtleth mile, the match had begun to
look very black for the pedestrian. He was
unframed, he had no experience of walking.
matches, and he had nobody to coach him.
Whatever the mans capabilities might be
he did not know how to make the most OF
them. AS he had not understood the hus-
banding OF his own powers in the early part
of his undertaking, so now he did not know
how to use what was left of them. He wa.
losing time on every mile; there were
twenty more weary miles to tramp, and Gael
one OF them took him longer to accomplish
than those that had gone before Ali the
fiery dash OF the morning was gone and the
afternoon saw the sorely distressed man
still struggling gamely with the task which
1t was rapidly becoming an obvious impos-
sibihtV that he should perform. Had Byns
not arrived at this critical juncture it hac
been little use his arriving at all; but the
minute he understood the state of things h,
made q rapid calculation in his head. exam
ined Fleming critically as he walked along
side him, and then said:
II tell you what, old boy; if you're gam,
and will do as / tell you, you will iust pul
through; but there won't be much t,
spare.n
"I'm about cooked" replied Fleming
but Pm quite good to go on till you say il
hopeless"
Its long way off hopeless at present,
replied the other, for the first time givin
the advice which he is reiterating at tn
beginning Of this chapter.
As they turned at the milestone, fo
under Byng's guidance, the mile being tol
erably level, the match was to be complete
over that mile. walking it backward an
forward, there was a slight commotio
among some of Fleming's partisans, wh
had now assembled TO watch the conclusio
OF his task. What it was was hardly dii
cernible at the distance they then were froI
1t, but, as they came nearer, il was evider
that in their zeal for his success some
fIemlng's partisans had stopped a SINAI
carriage full of ladies, for fear it shout
n.y. hnwnl, Il