MEMOIRS OF AN AMATEUR RIDER.*
SIR CLAUDE DE CRESPIGNY'S reminiscences can hardly help challenging comparison with the autobiography of the late Sir John Astley, published not long before the latter's death a year or two ago,—a comparison which is inevitably unfavourable to the volume before us, whose pages are sadly wanting in the genial humour, the humanity, and the irre- pressible boyish spirit of fun which made the artless gossip of Sir John Astley such pleasant and amusing reading. Sir Claude is disposed to regard himself and his doings too seriously. He has modelled his style rather upon that of the famous Baron Munchausen ; only, whereas the Baron was an extremely untrustworthy person, we should say that Sir Claude was absolutely and strictly truthful. On the other hand, the Baron was also extremely entertaining, whereas Sir Claude is rather dull. That is the penalty, however, that has often to be paid to truth, and it would be manifestly unfair to quarrel with the author on account of his veracity.
The question remains whether Sir Clande's career has been sufficiently remarkable to warrant his issuing this summons to the public attention and interest, and that is a question which we prefer to leave to his readers. This at least we may say, we quite agree with the author in considering the hero of his memoirs a very remarkable man. Sir Claude is in his forty-ninth year, and is still capable of riding and winning a steeplechase over a stiff course; a feat which requires certain bodily and mental conditions which are rarely possessed by a man of fifty. In spite of innumerable mishaps, in the saddle and out of it, of broken bones and concussions, his nerve and his strength have remained unimpaired beyond the period of middle age. There are many rough-riders, and other pro. fessionals, of course, of whom it would be possible to say the same; but the circumstances in their case are different, and comparing Sir Claude with men of his own class, we doubt whether any amateur has been able to stick to his favourite sport for so long. For it must be remembered that a race across country is a far severer test of a man's strength and horsemanship than riding to hounds. Sir Claude attributes his own success entirely to the fact that he keeps himself in condition at all times and in all places. Dumb-bells and a cold tub before breakfast all the year round, and active exercise with axe or bill-hook in the country, or tramping the London pavements when in town, form the simple means towards constant health which he has practised himself and now recommends to others. He is quite right, no doubt, but unfortunately there are few men who can spare quite so much time for preserving a high state of bodily health and condition as he has been able to do. Apart from his steeplechasing, Sir Claude's life does not furnish much exciting adventure on matters of general interest. He joined the Navy as a boy, and afterwards transferred himself to the Army, retiring, however, from the latter after a few years' service. Fate seems to have been unkind to him, since it has steadily refused him an opportunity of distinguishing himself in any other field than the racecourse. He has done his best to justify the proverb, " Adventures are to the adventurous," but without any signal success,—except, perhaps, in the way of ballooning, a sport which for some time rivalled steeple- chasing in his affections. His first connection with balloons was a rather curious one. During the siege of Paris he managed to join the Prussians at St. Denis, where he witnessed their operations against the beleaguered city :—
" I usually, too, joined one of the parties that were sent out after the balloons which ascended in Paris in numbers for the • Memoirs of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, Bart. }Nitta by George A. purpose of disseminating false information about the state of things prevailing in the front. These balloons were of a small size, and as they travel?ed at no great height, we were sometimes able. to riddle them with bullets. We used to fire at them with the French Chassepot rifles which had been taken in action or else flung away by fugitives. The Chassepot was a better weapon than the Prussian needle-gum It was perhaps this balloon- hunting which first roused in me an ineradicable passion for aeronautics."
We prefer the author's later ballooning experiences, as being decidedly more sportsmanlike. With all his love of ballooning, however, Sir Claude does not seem to have mastered the art sufficiently to enable him to make an ascent alone, and, unlike Colonel Burnaby, was always ac- companied by a ;professional aeronaut. His first attempt was unfortunate and resulted in his being left on the ground with a broken leg, his companion ascending without him. His next ascent enabled him to make a successful and, apparently, a very pleasant trip across the North Sea to Flushing. The author's prowess, however, was not confined to dry land or the upper air; he relates several deeds of daring which he performed in the water, and gives a vivid account of success- ful and unsuccessful efforts to save his fellow-creatures from drowning. He is an expert swimmer and has proved his.
powers both in the Nile Rapids and on the Chesil Beach near Portland. He writes, in this connection,-
" A good many people, having heard—often through unreliable sources—of these and other adventures, have chosen to set me. down as either a man quite reckless of life and limb, or an adver- tiser on a big scale. To have won, even without meriting it, either of these reputations is scarcely a matter to be wept with tears of blood.' fhere is at least nothing dishonourable in hold- ing one's life cheap, however small the stake played for ; whilst in an ago of self-advertisement some tolerance ought to be extended to one who makes himself known by courting danger, whether in earth, sea, or sky. As a matter of fact, I cannot lay claim to either distinction, having never actually courted danger for its own sweet sake; and never risked my life and limb for the paltry purposes of self-advertisement. However, there is a wider difference between risking your life through pure ignorance of its value, and shamming danger when by so doing you must soil the escutcheon of bravery, which should be the most precious. possession of every good Englishman."
The argument is a little involved; but as it appears to. contain the author's profession of faith, we have quoted it in
full. A good many pages are devoted to what may be called deeds of arms. The author has often been engaged in single combat, and has always come off victorious. Among other little affairs of this kind, we may notice a fight with a cab- man who had the temerity to follow the author into a con- fectioner's shop and shake him by the collar, and another with.
a waiter who presented him with a bad lobster for his supper.
In both cases the author seems to have acted up to his. principles with a cheerful disregard of the risk involved. We learn from him, in another place, that he has made a formal offer of his sword to Don Carlos, should the latter ever need his services; but as yet Don Carlos has not.
had the opportunity of enlisting them. The one chance that fate granted Sir Claude of seeing a little active service ended in a bitter disappointment. In 1889 he started for Egypt, in the hope of being allowed to join as a volunteer in the expedition against the Dervishes. To his chagrin he learnt that the only capacity in which he would be allowed to.
go to the front would be that of a newspaper correspondent. He promptly suggested the Sporting Times as the organ to.
which he would supply news, but the Sirdar seems to have entertained doubts as to whether that paper really needed a. war correspondent in Egypt. However, Sir Claude was not to be daunted, and at last obtained a commission from a pro- vincial journal and leave to proceed to the front. To his. intense vexation he arrived in time to meet the returning troops and learn that the enemy had already been routed. It was certainly a pity, for as a soldier, if not as a war corre- spondent, he is evidently a man of much resource and promptitude,—witness the following passage :-
"On my way up the Nile I seriously considered whether it. might not prove of real assistance to Grenfell to cut the telegraph wires. It was a recollection of the way in which Sir Evelyn Wood had been hampered and harassed in Africa by the Government a few years before, that made me think about. this; but going into the matter, it occurred to me that in the. case of Sir Evelyn Wood, Mr. Gladstone held the reins ; whilst Lord Salisbury was now in power, and not very likely to repeat the blunder of his predecessors. Had Mr. Gladstone been in power I should most certainly have set to work to cut the wires, and burn down the telegraph-posts. My crew no doubt would have rendered all the necessary assistance."
It was lucky that Sir Claude remembered in time who was the Prime Minister of England. On the whole, we are more disposed to congratulate him on his good memory than on his ingenuity. And that congratulation is the only one that we can fairly offer him upon this book of Memoirs, though we confess to have derived some entertainment from it.
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