fraid one's nose coming in contact with hard gravel is anything but fun
to the owner of such organ. The jockey race which came next must be
noticed as exhibiting steeds in entirely a new light. In the present
instance, they so far threw aside the nature of the equine race that,
they selected for themselves jockeys from the arms of fearful Japanese
mothers, who had come to see the fun. Clearly, as the referees decided,
this class of jockey did not come within the scope of the programme.

But one of the most entertaining items was the obstacle race, and
considering, as I said before, the small space at the committee's
command, several severe obstacles had been placed in the way of the
competitors. Eighteen entered for this race. First, half a pound of
pudding, minus anything oleaginous, and a basin of water was
administered to each. At a given signal the "gorging" commenced. He who
first got outside his "duff and water" started, and so on with the next.
One would scarce believe with what incredible rapidity that pudding was
metamorphosed. The next obstacle to be surmounted was a huge balk of
timber raised at the ends, about a foot off the ground, under which the
coursers were compelled to _crawl_. A row of eighteen barrels, with the
ends knocked out, came next; then a climb up slack ropes, and over a
transverse bar; and finally another balk of timber--if anything less
than a foot off the ground--under which they had to squeeze and wriggle
in the best manner possible.

As a finale to our excellent programme, the most amusing and
entertaining thing of all was yet to be carried out. A stunsail boom had
been rigged out over the caisson, and rendered extremely fit for
pedestrianism by plentiful libations of slush and soft soap. At the
extreme end a basket containing, in the words of the programme, "a
little pig" was slung. About thirty men stood to the front, as would-be
possessors of "porcus." Each of the thirty, as valiant heroes as ever
trod a plank or fisted handspike, tried and failed--and tried again with
a like unsatisfactory result. Piggy still lay nestled in his swinging
stye. True, once or twice he had cocked out his head with an enquiring
squeal as the pole now and then received an extra hard shake, making the
foundations of his house rather insecure. The affair was at length
decided in an unlooked-for manner. As the thirty could not get the pork
out, the latter took the initiative and got out himself--of course
fa