Volume 25 — THE HERO OF A HUNDRED HURDLES.
Reading edition
Two gallant officers, a Lieutenant and a Captain of the Fusileers, have lately been running a flat race and a hurdle race against each other. The amusement was manly enough, and quite unobjectionable; though there is something at the first glance rather odd in the idea of two British officers competing which can run the fastest, when we recollect that never to run is the usual practice of our soldiers. We are quite sure that the competitors on this occasion will never use their running powers in the field of action, except in pursuit of an enemy. The races were well contested; the flat race being won by the Lieutenant, who "beat his opponent by three feet," which seems rather unfair, as no man ought to be allowed more than two feet to compete in a running match. In the hurdle race the Lieutenant commenced well against the Captain, but was unable to run him through—having unfortunately slipped in taking the fifth hurdle. The incident is suggestive of a little parody on the favourite military song of
"March! March!"
Jump, jump! Captain and Subaltern, Why my lads, do you not tighten your girdles? Jump, jump! make a fair start of it; There goes the Subaltern over the hurdles! Comrades shall many a day tell of the horrid way— (E'en the bare thought makes the life-blood to curdle) How the poor Subaltern—as his luck took a turn— Pitched on his head ere he reached the fifth hurdle. Jump, jump, &c. &c.
The Best Way of Making Way is to Take it.
Some persons have such a taking way with them that "if you give them an inch, they will take an ell." Now we should say the Russians had this same grasping manner about them, and if the Turks had yielded to them a single inch, by this time they would have taken the Dardan-elles.
The Great Reformer of the Age—To-morrow.