登陆注册
5286900000027

第27章 Sitting in Judgment(2)

Again the hurricane of cheers broke out. "Don't he fly 'em," said one man, waving his hat. At the last fence he made his spring yards too soon; his forelegs got over all right, but his hind legs dropped on the rail with a sounding rap, and he left a little tuft of hair sticking on it.

"I like to see 'em feel their fences," said the fat man.

"I had a bay 'orse once, and he felt every fence he ever jumped; shows their confidence."

"I think he'll feel that last one for a while," said the little dark man.

"What's this now?"

"Number Two, Homeward Bound!" An old, solid chestnut horse came out and cantered up to each jump, clearing them coolly and methodically.

The crowd was not struck by the performance, and the fat man said:

"No pace!" but surreptitiously made two strokes (to indicate Number Two) on the cuff of his shirt.

"Number Eleven, Spite!" This was a leggy, weedy chestnut, half-racehorse, half-nondescript, ridden by a terrified amateur, who went at the fence with a white, set face. The horse raced up to the fence, and stopped dead, amid the jeers of the crowd. The rider let daylight into him with his spurs, and rushed him at it again. This time he got over.

Round he went, clouting some fences with his front legs, others with his hind legs. The crowd jeered, but the fat man, from a sheer spirit of opposition, said: "That would be a good horse if he was rode better." And the squatter remarked: "Yes, he belongs to a young feller just near me. I've seen him jump splendidly out in the bush, over brush fences."

The little dark man said nothing, but made a note in his book.

"Number Twelve, Gaslight!" "Now, you'll see a horse," said the fat man.

"I've judged this 'orse in twenty different shows, and gave him first prize every time!"

Gaslight turned out to be a fiddle-headed, heavy-shouldered brute, whose long experience of jumping in shows where they give points for pace -- as if the affair was a steeplechase -- had taught him to get the business over as quickly as he could. He went thundering round the ring, pulling double, and standing off his fences in a style that would infallibly bring him to grief if following hounds across roads or through broken timber.

"Now," said the fat man, "that's a 'unter, that is. What I say is, when you come to judge at a show, pick out the 'orse you'd soonest be on if Ned Kelly was after you, and there you have the best 'unter."

The little man did not reply, but made the usual scrawl in his book, while the squatter hastened to agree with the fat man. "I like to see a bit of pace myself," he ventured.

The fat man sat on him heavily. "You don't call that pace, do you?" he said. "He was going dead slow."

Various other competitors did their turn round the ring, some propping and bucking over the jumps, others rushing and tearing at their fences; not one jumped as a hunter should. Some got themselves into difficulties by changing feet or misjudging the distance, and were loudly applauded by the crowd for "cleverness" in getting themselves out of the difficulties they had themselves created.

A couple of rounds narrowed the competitors down to a few, and the task of deciding was entered on.

"I have kept a record," said the little man, "of how they jumped each fence, and I give them points for style of jumping, and for their make and shape and hunting qualities. The way I bring it out is that Homeward Bound is the best, with Gaslight second."

"Homeward Bound!" said the fat man. "Why, the pace he went wouldn't head a duck. He didn't go as fast as a Chinaman could trot with two baskets of stones. I want to have three of 'em in to have another look at 'em."

Here he looked surreptitiously at his cuff, saw a note "No. II.", mistook it for "Number Eleven", and said: "I want Number Eleven to go another round."

The leggy, weedy chestnut, with the terrified amateur up, came sidling and snorting out into the ring. The fat man looked at him with scorn.

"What is that fiddle-headed brute doing in the ring?" he said.

"Why," said the ring steward, "you said you wanted him."

"Well," said the fat man, "if I said I wanted him I do want him.

Let him go the round."

The terrified amateur went at his fences with the rashness of despair, and narrowly escaped being clouted off on two occasions.

This put the fat man in a quandary. He had kept no record, and all the horses were jumbled up in his head; but he had one fixed idea, to give the first prize to Gaslight; as to the second he was open to argument. From sheer contrariness he said that Number Eleven would be "all right if he were rode better," and the squatter agreed.

The little man was overruled, and the prizes went -- Gaslight, first;

Spite, second; Homeward Bound, third.

The crowd hooted loudly as Spite's rider came round with the second ribbon, and small boys suggested to the fat judge in shrill tones that he ought to boil his head. The fat man stalked majestically into the stewards' stand, and on being asked how he came to give Spite the second prize, remarked oracularly: "I judge the 'orse, I don't judge the rider."

This silenced criticism, and everyone adjourned to have a drink.

Over the flowing bowl the fat man said: "You see, I don't believe in this nonsense about points. I can judge 'em without that."

Twenty dissatisfied competitors vowed they would never bring another horse there in their lives. Gaslight's owner said: "Blimey, I knew it would be all right with old Billy judging. 'E knows this 'orse."

同类推荐
  • 七缪

    七缪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 茶疏

    茶疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 更生斋文集

    更生斋文集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 高上玉皇本行集经

    高上玉皇本行集经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 安徽咨议局章程

    安徽咨议局章程

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 重生之世子大人是个妻奴

    重生之世子大人是个妻奴

    被人利用后玉石俱焚,这对她来说无疑是最好的选择,可惜结果对有的人并不理想。一朝重生到了一切尚未发生的时候她重新遇见了自己命里渡不过去的那一劫只是这位世子大人是不是有些太傲娇了?【重生+打脸+夫妻合伙虐渣+甜宠】
  • 天绝剑仙

    天绝剑仙

    冷萧逸冷萧逸得来历不明的逆天宝剑名碧落,剑中深藏有莫名剑灵,玄旭,在他的指导下在天剑门逆天崛起。斩三尸,杀凶兽,弑神将,终铸就成天地一绝的剑仙。
  • 娶妻不取贤

    娶妻不取贤

    芳华系列之一:“乔南木,你应该知道的娶妻娶贤,纳妾纳色,我自认是贤妻,你也可以去纳你的娇妾,我们互不干涉,这个婚姻对你来说是最好的选择!”杨思存坐在桌子的另一边如谈判一样谈着婚姻。这个世界上有着浪子回头这种事吗?什么样的女人能够终结种马的生活呢?乔南木说,浪子回头也还是浪子!杨思存说,爱上种马的女人是自取其辱,何必何苦!但是有时候生活远比戏剧更加的戏剧。当一个浪子兼种马爱上一个万分鄙视这两种动物的才女兼美女时,你猜谁先低头呢?我不知道!你知道吗?我的空间已经开通了,如果你有空不妨来坐坐吧:http://m.wkkk.net/1900433推荐一下我的文文:【他来自大唐】一个关于大唐的大侠来到今天的故事,很有趣的!又安的新文已开:【相亲九十九次】是娶贤一个系列的,写的是董欣的故事!好友张小艾的文文:【红楼遗梦】好友恋醉的文文:【孽后】
  • 穿越之弃妇逍遥

    穿越之弃妇逍遥

    姜瑶醒过来的时候,身份变成了已婚,还多了一个儿子。知晓弃妇身份的时候,江蓠还算坦然接受了事实,卖萌求带走,素手开酒馆,天要下雨,娘要嫁人,问题是?嫁谁……【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 我是大佬的心尖宝

    我是大佬的心尖宝

    一场交易,她为了家族和权势大佬签定专属契约。在契约结束想要离开的时候,他却将她紧紧抱住不放手。“将来让我来宠坏你好不好?”“不好,我要走了。”她前脚刚搬走,霸总后脚就带着行李跟过来,非要和她一起住。作为霸总的心尖宠,她是真的要被宠上天了。
  • 影视美术设计

    影视美术设计

    《影视美术设计》集作者数十年教学与实践之经验,几易其稿,是目前国内第一部关于影视美术设的指导性专著,在对影视美术创作中的重大理论问题作出具体规范和深刻阐释的同时,作者也针对影视美术设计中的空间环境构成、总体造型、场景设计等问题作了全面分析和论证,是一部理论与实践美结合的著作。
  • 樱桃的雅尔达

    樱桃的雅尔达

    七岁,他们在孤儿院相遇。她是可怜的小孤女,他是温柔的守护者。再见面,她是国内第一财阀少爷的未婚妻,而他成了尊贵的王子。时隔十二年的缘分能否再续?在温柔如他,冷漠如他和神秘如他之间,她又该如何选择?精彩的故事,未解的谜团,出人意料的结局尽在影影出品——《樱桃的雅尔达》。
  • 七皇子传奇

    七皇子传奇

    他,是一朵生在忘川河的白莲,因拥有强大法力被封为紫炎帝。他创建了心灵界,并为生灵治疗受伤的心灵,可是除了三人,没人看见他真正的容颜。为了能够更了解体验人间七情六欲,每隔一段时间便得历劫。原以为这次的转世能够救回与他一同生在忘川河的另一朵粉莲——沁儿,可却功亏一篑。魂飞魄散之时幸得海爷爷及时相助用聚魂瓶将魂魄聚集。这一次,他成为了七皇子殿下。
  • 青龙寺轨记

    青龙寺轨记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 劫秦记

    劫秦记

    上古神话,西王母瑶池之会,穆天子西巡,昆仑千年的传说,神秘的云梦大泽,南疆巫蛊之术…...千万年的历史让人们习惯于淡忘,那些神话传说是否确有其事?彭祖是否真的活到了八百岁?神话不得而知,但,世间有传奇!人间传奇驱史轮,吾辈当作第一人!……故事从一个十一二岁的少年说起,从他来到这个不一样的地方开始,劫起……