Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 286, 12 October 1864, Page 6

SoJiETiirxo i.ikj: Sport. —A Californian newspaper (the Ooldm l'.ra) relates the following laughable sporting event, namely, a bull race, for the truth of which it vouches. It says : —-'Many yeais ago, the members of a race-course near Brownsville, on the Monanghclu, published notices of a race, one mile heats, 011 a particular day, for a purse of 100 dollars, ' free to any tiling with four legs and liair on 011.' A man in the neighbourhood named llavs had a bull that he was in the habit of riding to mill with his bag of corn, and he determined to enter him for the nice. He said nothing about it to anyone, but he rode him round the track a number "of times, several moonlight nights, until the bull had the hang of the ground pretty well, and would keep the .right course. He rode with spurs, which the bull considered particularly disagreeable: so much that, lie always bellowed when they wore applied to his sides. 011 the morning of the race, Hays came upon the ground mounted on his bull. Instead of a saddle, he had dried an ox-hide, the head part of which with the horns sfill on, he had placed on the bull's rump. He carried a short tin horn in his hand, tie rode to the judge's stand and offered to enter his bull for the race ; but the owners of the Ijorses objected. Hays appealed to the terms of the notice, insisting that his bull ' had four legs and hair on,' and that therefore lie had a right to enter him. After a good deal of swearing the judges declared themselves compelled to decide that the bull had a right to run, and he -was entered accordinglv. When the time for starting arrived, the bull and horses took their places. The horse-racers were out of humour at being bothered by the bull, and at the burle.-que which they supposed was intended, but thought that it would be over as soon as the horses started When the signal was given they did start. Hays gave a blast, with his horn, and sunk his spurs into the side of the bull, which bounded oil' with a terrible bellow, at no trifling speed, the dried ox-hide flapping up and down, and rattling at evenjump, making a combination of noises tlmt had never been heard 011 a race-course before. Tlie horses all flew oil" the track* every one seized with a sudden determination to take' the shortest cut to get out of tho Redstone country, and none of them could bo biought back iu time to save their distance. The purse was given to Hays. A general row ensued, but the fun of the thing put tile crowd 011 the side of the bull. horsemen contended that thev were swindled out of the purse, and if it had not been for Hays' horn and ox-hide, which he ought not to have been permit ted to liavo brought 011 the grouud, the thing would not have turned out as it did. Upon this IJays told them that his bull could beat any of their horses anyhow, and if thev would put 1,000 dollars against the purse he had won, In; would take .off tho ox-hide, and leave tho tin horn, and run a fair l-ace with them. Mis oiler was accepted and the money slaked. They again took their places at the starting post. Hays gave the bull another touch with his spur, and the bull gave a tremendous bellow. The horses went away again, and Hays galloped his bull round the track again, and Avon the moncv. Tiip. Americans have discovered a new method of loading their rilles and guns, which has tw.o advantages—that of economising time and savino- money. The bullet and hall have the powder readvudherin" to them, over that- is laid a thin laver of gun° I keeping it compact and drv ; thus neither earrmWs nor paper are necessary, and only halt the usual time for loading is required. It is said to hare answered J so well that the French Government are thinking of adoptmg the method. 0 I