h, a good race is a good race,
although the mile may take more than two minutes in running.

The first race of the day was a mile, over four flights of hurdles,
catch weight, any riders. Any riders they were too--as, at the first
hurdle, only two out of six got over safely; two jockeys were sent clean
out of their saddles, one horse came down on his head, and another
refused. Before coming to the second flight, one of the two fortunate
horses swerved and missed his fence, but his jock, still keeping on,
took the remaining two, and won easily; the race was, however, given
against him on account of the slip. All other horses being distanced,
the one horse that had fairly gone the course, should, after a walk
over, have taken the stakes; but a very powerful-looking jock on a
distanced horse, insinuating that he would break any one's head who said
he was distanced, seemed to have some influence on the judge, who
decided that this man's horse was to be allowed to start in the second
heat.

The second heat was therefore merely a match, and the strong-armed man
won; he shied his hat in the air and sent his horse home without walking
over for the third heat. The owner of the other horse then claimed the
stakes, and a regular row seemed the most likely result. I left the
course before matters were decided, so do not know what decision this
jockey club came to on the knotty question. I should here mention that
all the disputing parties, as well as the riders, were English.

I must say that I left the district of Natal with regret, or rather I
should say, its sports, climate, and free life. My last day's sport was
good, for three bucks were shot, two of them being of the little blue
buck species that I have before mentioned. I rode round my old haunts
to bid them farewell, and also to look the last on several of my black
sporting companions. The Kaffirs were all sorry to hear of my purposed
departure, and wished to know where I was going and when I would return.
Many of them were much puzzled when they tried to think how people
found the road on the sea. They would say, "there were no trails or
trees to mark the journey, and the waves were always altering their
shapes." It was difficult to explain to these unmathematical minds the
mysteries of "sights," latitude and longitude, or the use of logarithms.
I managed to make them comprehend that by the stars and sun we
understood our position; they could not quite make out