Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-15
SOME ODD CONTESTS.
RACES IN WHICH ALL SORTS OF
ANIMALS ARE PARTICIPANTS.

btAGch,' nun at mhow, IN 1nutos
Have In store-The Hurry scurry
Races st the Montreal Ressttss.
So much ingenuity has been expend.
ed in devising novel and humorous
races that 1t grows more difficult ev-
cry year to discover a new form Of
competition.
An amusing IL not very elevatins
race was witnessed recently In the de-
partment OF Lott, In the south of
France. The good ladies of a certain
village were invited to compete in a
400 meter race, each wife trundling her
spouse In a wheelbarrow. The spec
tacle was highly exciting and divert
ing, for the competitors who realized
that they had no chance of winning re-
lieved their disappointment by tipping
their respective husbands out OF the
barrows and leaving them to rub them
selves and bemoan their misplaced con-
fidence.
There are few prettier and more sur
prising races than the ladies' race, or
Luck Stakes, at Mhow, India. The
fair competitors race to a line Of bas-
kets resting on the ground, and each
one. as she reaches her basket, opens
the lid to see what prize awaits her.
From the three winning baskets spring
up tiny recruit boys, who present pret-
ty prizes to the fortunate winners,
while from the remaining baskets there
emerges a veritable menagerie. From
one a dove scars to the sky; from an
other a scared cot bolts, and others re-
lease geese, partridges, hens, dogs and
hares. which scurry away among the
crowd amid babel of sound.
The hurry scurry race, which is a
feature Of every Montreal regatta, Is
In the highest degree exciting. The
distance from the starting point, and
at the crack Of the pistol the competi-
tors dive into the water swim to their
canoes and paddle away for the turn
ing buoy as II for dear life.
Again the pistol cracks, and each
man throws his paddle overheard and
springs in after 1t, regaining his seat
as quickly as he can. When the pistol
f1res again, each man must not only
tumble overheard, but before re-em.
barking he must upset his canoe and
right II again, a process which clever
canoeist will complete within four Sec
onds.
Another feature is to swamp the ca
noe, flll 1t to the gunwale and then
empty It, minute only being allowed
for the complete process. The man
who, after a dozen or so upsets, reach
es the goal first has amply earned his
prize.
One Of the most amusing Of races Is
very popular In certain departments
In the south of France. The race is
between boys, each mounted on more
or less intractable pig. With it's well
known perversity, a pig will go in any
direction but the one desired, and the
efforts Of the riders to head the steeds
for the goal, the collisions, the grunts
and squeals, form a combination which
is eIcruciatlngly funny.
Almost equally amusing are the No
abs ark races which are SO popular In
military circles in India. In one very
exciting race at Bombay a goat passed
the tape first and was followed at a
long Interval by an elephant while, to
the amazement of the onlookers, a
horse only Just managed to come in
third.
In certain parts of the country barrel
races are in great favor, a number of
men trundling beer barrels along the
streets. There Is usually q special
competition for ladies, who are no whit
inferior to their male rivals In the skill
full manipulation of the barrels
At Nogent-surh harne not long ago
there was grand international wooden
leg carnival, In which each competitor
must have lost one leg. 1t was here
that NJ. Roulin won the "one legged
championship Of the world" by cover
ing a distance of 300 yards in the e1-
cellent time of 80 seconds.
A most amusing race was held some
time ago near Bordeaux. Each COM
petitor had dozen bladders attached
to his neck by strings of different
lengths. There was high wind, and
the course was full OF obstacles. The
flying bladders buffeted the runners In
the face and all over the body, they
wound themselves like so many SER
pents round their legs and arms, and
generally made things so unpleasant
that before half mile had been COW
cred every competitor had been
brought to earth more than once
London Tit-Bits.