My Life As Soldierand Sportsman

TH E A UT HOR M Y L I F E A S S O L D I E R A N D S P O R T S M A N R B J . O S O N S C OTT Ma or l t 3rd Husswr j , a e s W I TH S I XTE E N I LLUS TR ATI ONS LONDON D G R A N T R I C HA R S L T D . ’ S T M A R T I N S S T R E E T MDCCCCXXI P R I NTE D I N G REAT B R ITA I N BY T HE R I VERS I D E P R E SS L I M IT ED E D I N BU RG H C ONTEN T S CHAPT E R : 1 . SOUTH AFRICA SOME REMINISCENCES I M I . INDIAN RE INISCENCES III F M U L AND H M A H P . A O S GENERA S ORSE NS I T HE T OF T U L IV. S ORY A GREA D E U V. H NTING V F H AND PH L PH I . IS ING I OSO Y VII . RACING F M T VIII . CON OR A ION X M I I . ORE RAC NG X T HE T L . GRAND NA IONA I THE P AND L U OF X . EDIGREE CO O R GRAND NATIONAL WINNERS XII THE T L H U T T PL H . NA IONA N S EE EC ASE T HE M L T T PL H XIII . GRAND I I ARY S EE EC ASE LIST OF ILLUST RATIONS ' ' ‘ THE A UTHOR F rom zsp z ece F AC I NG P A GE LORD K ITCHEN ER ON DEMOCRAT 72 B ADGER DIG . 84 LORD LONSDALE 90 CAPTAIN F . FORESTER ON CHRISTMAS DAISY 96 PT F . F T M . F . H. U H U CA AIN ORES ER , Q ORN O NDS M T K B T EE , IR Y GA E M R JOHN GAUNT L . L CAPTAIN A . C IFFE CLOISTER TRACERY M R ARTH UR YATES . A STUDY IN CON FORMATION DERBY WON BY ABOYE UR ON A DISQ UALIFICATION BLAK ELOCK PRETTY POLLY FACSIMI LE OF LETTER FROM LORD POULETT MARE SHOWN TO THE HON . A . PARK ER SOM E REMOUN T OFFICERS P RE FAC E W HEN a mere layman w ri te s a book it is s a fo r to i n sc ribe a cu tom ry him a pref ce or , as ! ! a sa I zaak W lton would y, an epistle to the readers . M y original idea was to write and have printed a few person al remini scenc e s of the days a n d s o s s week I have spent in vari u sport , for the o m a a a young f lks who y come fter me ; in f ct , I ’ s Ho w contemplated writing a sort of boy book . it a e t o a a n d s ever, c m p ss that I met , discus ed e the subject with , M r Arthur F . Meyrick who , lik e o n s . a s myself, is g tting in year H e is mo t s as s o f s o s enthu i tic tudent racing and other p rt , an d in additi o n to sugge sting that I sho uld write a la o n o e a s s rger volume , m r gener l ubject , he v o l unte er e d to c o ntribute to my book by supplying details o f the Grand National from Lottery to Troytown . a as Gradu lly , the copy grew , so did the number o f s s a o new idea . Thu it came b ut that causeri e s s o s s e se s to on other p rt sugge ted th m lve me . a o o e When young man , M r Meyrick f ll w d in o o s o f a e o s the f t teps his f th r in the j urnali tic world , an d o s e e s o f his knew m t of the c l britie tim e . I I 1 2 PRE FACE hi s a o o i s to an c a I n View , if b k have y h nce of being a succ e ss it mu st be o n e of thre e things e s s o r s o u can inter ting , in tructive amu ing . I f y o all e s s i s ass e s c mmand thre , ucce s ur d . I t mu t be e a s a a to i left to r der , fter being c ught , dec de if my bo o k can claim to po sses s any o f th e se qualiti e s . Th o ugh it is cu sto mary to m ake apologie s fo r ’ se e ase a n o o writing , I don t that in my c y ap l gy is a e as o r required , as I certainly h v never pired s prete nded to be a profes ional writer . H UTH T E A OR . C H APTE R I SOUTH AFRIC A ’ ’ S ome R emz m scem es C E RTA I N amount o f sa tisfacti o n is to be derived in recalling the pl e asure s of the a us p st , and there are , I expect , few of fl a who do not re ect on bygone days . I n the e rly a w as a a a o eighties South Afric . ttr cting go d deal s of attention . Cecil Rhodes was tirring things up o the in that part of the Empire . The f rmation of s o a a Briti h S uth Afric n Company , very grand and w as o a n d o s ambitious project , b omed b o ted to such a n extent that the shares actually rose to £9 . 1 2 1 s 1 Now in 9 they tand at 4s . and have never o s e paid a dividend , but no d ubt in year to com it will be prov e d that the country can support an imm e nse population . E arly in 1 890 I j o in e d the British Bechu anal and o o s B rder Police , a f rce e tablished to watch the o a as so e B ers on the Transv al border , for me tim s an d they had been inclined to be re tless truculent , s cea ing to treat the British with respect . Some times they referred to us as ! those Bloody I S x4 SOLDI ER AND SP ORTSMAN Ro i n e c ks a o to Co o a n s , in llusi n the red l ur Engli h man acquired fro m being scorch e d by the sun on his o e neck and face . Some of the Sporting B rs I met se e med re al go o d fe llows ; they had n o - d an e s o . ill will , were exc llent hooting compani ns On e rel ated how at M ajuba H ill he with a fe w o ther adventurou s spirits climbed up the re verse as side of the hill just the Boer force , believing it t o be s e a impos ibl to put up a fight , were prep ring to a e trek . H ving arrived at the top , they pe red over the edge of the depression where the Briti sh force was camped fo r the night and discovered that the sentrie s w e re po sted in such a way that sa they could not see over the hill . Needless to y, when those Boer scouts fired a volley at the troop s an d - a panic took place , a helter skelter down the a a s hill ch nged the whole feature of the oper tion . s ho w This same man al o related , when hunting fl he a tw o . elephants , c me on lions in deadly con ict ! When aske d to describe the fight he said : I was ! after ivory , not lions . The British Bechuanaland Border Police wer e a a o co mm nded by General Sir Fred C rringt n , a his a o a a a man who had made n me in col ni l w rf re . as o o f He w a great Englishman , and a b rn leader a n d a s had a s fo r men , the n tive , who nickn me all the s o f s a The o . o fficer the corp , c lled him Li n H e had s great expansive shoulder , deep chest , sandy SOUTH AFRICA 1 5 c o a a u e o s ac an d a e re loured h ir , h g m u t he d ep , u o o f o e s w as so nding voic e . An ther the ffic r dubbed The w a a a Ostrich from the y he w lked , and third The Giraffe be ca u se he w as tall an d slender .

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