The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19

the ornamental work The nine horses were
punt and The Earl himself saw 70 il that the hind
hoois Of each horse were beating tattoo on tue
weatherworn timbcrs When each nag was
ceremonies gave the signal TO start and with MS
word. "Alu," each Jockey piled whip and heels IN
a bunch The horses We're softins themselves out
in the first furlong and by the end Of the second
iurlong there began to be some show Of reason
for the betting which had been laid All eAccp,
the Earle nomination. That remained as absurd
aproposition as before by the time the cav
which is approximately two furlongs IL was seen
that ldlolo was showing sone skill for savage
Jockey, who never had had any training. He
had Teievevc well In hand and Just behind tho
leaders. but in position where he could bring out
Whatever there was in the nag 70 do. The Earl's
ging him numerically in the effort TO get up
speed. The sportsmcn followed on other horses
al the rear Of the racers in order that they might
keep the race in view, which Il was easy TO do by
taking short cuts here and there.
just beyond the American 1agpole the first
led his horse for distance Of a, least one hundred
feet Each Jockey az he dashed up 10 the same
point did the same. But the Ean's horse kept
they were being walked, The subscribers to the
race were dumfounded., They said they had
Sn that eyer, hoIss but one had been
the turf That did no harm. neither did II do any
COOL. for II was said in English and the Jockeys
the Interpreter. assured the sportsmen that II was
all right The riders were passing in front Of
,hs house Of high chief and the samoan .s. custom
But why doesn't that mule Of the Eads have
like a car ho,sc.. Isn't ihe,c any Samoa GUS
tom 10, hat sort Of mokc?" the eight other nomina-
Him long tina, high chief itself Samoa
custom oil same Eness custom. You don't
take of your hat to Yourself $ pose not. So
samoa chief horse he hde in the fronts OF Samoa
. chief house himself"
by this time all the Jockeys had rcmounted
n nut wss in sru n at IN" rs o-sc e eoSe"
nu, tree that had hccn blown down on The beach
little further along This reduced him 70 ,hS
tho Jump tho other horses were ahead. But
there was another chiefs house and there was
the sane ,Sn, and sS snn , did
Soofnnua. Tho interpreter explained that this
also was all right Manu- did not have to b. led
past because this hous" was thc. house Of his
owner Mr. Patu. who was the chief over that part
81 Naiala md Solofanua could go by, because
as chicfs Mr.. Tofacono was higher in rank than
The next obstacle WAS river To swim. Mr.
Pntu's horse was rathct fractions at the water
to tho front and through Faaghoi's luck rather
than management hc had his mount in the rNcr
This gave him the lead on the other side ,where
there was first a stretch 81 good going beach.
before the others were able to catch up the next
obstacle was reached, the stretch of mangrovcs.
This was a narrow str"nk 81 tangled growth
too small FOR n grnVr. too thick Tor hedge, not
morc than twenty fcct thick, but 'cgn,a' ,eas"r,
holes with sharp edges and abundant splintcrs.
Soofanua was frst out Of this obstacle, but Tcl"-
vav" not long after Immediately alter
tho mangr,ycs came about n hundred Yards of
black rocks. zach dornick having 50 many sharp
inns, spurs and ang,"s ,hn, i,comid always keep
speedy going and the leaders. came ont liltle
better than hors"s that had 9lrrndy been dis
From the Tpcks there another good speed
way TO the newt obstacle. which was the River
Naii"a too broad to leap, too shallow to swim,
II out 81 speed most wnfully. Az the Iniloa
the race was Just about half over Televave
barrier the last the course until the finish
lump, hut this WAS hard one Ia negotiate and
It strained the pack out into single file. The
barrier WINS neither lean nor a swim. II was
n tree which must h climbed. a difficult task for
horses. II had been made as easy ~, possible
but none the leSs II was necessary for every horsr
or other person that used that ford 10 climb TO the
hank beyond on cocoanut tree tina, had been
fcllcd 10 serve ladder Only one horse could
climb at 9 time. and the Earls wiRncr was the
when this obstacle was surmouncd there was
a good stretch 81 turf for the run home. Although
Solofanun WAS pounding along at the very end
81 the line there were two important advantages
waiting for him. The hrst was the home Of his
owner in the hamlet uf Moota. When the same
disappointing done here which enabled the
lngChrd horse TO get once more 10 the front the
interpreter was good enough 10 explain that this
horse. When he was taken 10 task on the score
that the first get down and walk had been done
before the residence II this same chief the inter
prefer ready with his answer
"lligh Chief Tofaeono. him live there too:
him live there, ton Other wife live here other
wife live there, too" This proof 81 bgamy among
the ruling classes shocking To the moral
sense: hut tho double establishment was an ad.
vantage in horscracing complicated with Samoan
customs.
Herr tho Ears nomination got a good lead
and he held II for a while, only in tho end 10 Re
n HUNDRED yaris from tho finish was thc house
81 Vet another chief inferior 10 Tofaeono hut
higher in rank than Thngaloa and Patu This
chief. Asi. was beyond the stone wall at which
the race was TO finish In the zest Of the race
the Jockeys the horses 81 tho two rior chiefs
rrccd past Nsi's house without dismountng
AZ soon he saw this disrrspcct Ash jumped
ovcr tn" wall and sta rrd in tn rrmonslrate Then
the nrglccful Jockeys had in rood earnest 10 come
down OIL their high horses and while they wcrr
the wall won tho four sov"rcgns for his owner
AMI for the nnminat"r, tho Earl Of Hnrdwickc,
oil tn money thrrr was in the game.
There WAS no Jockey club TO take this matter
M and NJ the time II consdrr cd safe enough
race barring the complications NJ Samoan Gus,
Ea RI had left samoa and continued his travels
far ~ Must ralin he wnS soon detected in Sydney
"a no Ea ri Int n common swinder. and as such
sent TO woolloomooioo Jail for ten wears hard
Then few h"gan 10 wonder. Then II was found
TIN, the Earl had discovered tho whole trick ~
this native custom and had planned tho whole
scheme for the purpoS" Of Transferring funds
from his fellow travellers pockets 10 his own.
This ther.is tho story OF the rst race III Samoa.
the great Nnnla s'erpl~Chasc. The moral seems
that thee are several othrr things besides the
legs Of n horse that IL n business TO nut trust in