WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 227 



had occasional dealings during my sojourn in that island. He, 

 too, recognised me, and lost no time in making the fact known 

 by asking how a bay horse had turned out that he had sold me 

 the last time I had visited his stables. " I have come to this 

 country," he said, "to attend some horse-fairs at Rostrenan, 

 Chateaulin, and Morlaix ; and, with a bit of luck, I hope to 

 pick up a string of useful cobs that will sell well at Southampton ; 

 for, that's my market now, not St. Hellier's, where a lot of fellows 

 have congregated who can't afford to pay for a pint of 

 shrimps." 



During this short conversation he was busily employed in 

 rolling a huge horse-rug together and fastening it across the 

 pommel of the saddle and in front of his knees, by way of a 

 stay ; the butcher standing at the horse's head, holding the bridle 

 tightly with one hand and smoothing down his nose with the 

 other, to keep the brute quiet, if possible, during the operation. 



"Your friend seems to know what he's about," said Shafto. 

 " That rug-roll, strapped in front, is the very dodge adopted in 

 Australia, when a young ' bucker ' is hampered and mounted for 

 the first time ; and I begin to think ' Lunatique } has found his 

 master in that rider." 



St. Prix's drag was now under weigh ; and the clatter of hoofs 

 and the crack of the whip seemed to electrify "Lunatique" in one 

 instant. He reared twice on end, but Johnson dropped his 

 bridle-hand, and, throwing his weight on the brute's neck, 

 frustrated the back-fall that appeared to be imminent ; he then 

 made a succession of plunges, bucking on all fours into the air 

 and coming down with his nose to the ground. But with all 

 these frantic efforts, there sat the undisturbed Johnson, fast and 

 firm, as if he had been glued to his saddle. A sharp, stinging 

 cut with his heavy jockey-whip, then another and another over 

 the off-flank, brought the brute at once into progressive action, 

 and in five minutes afterwards he was cantering along, in the 



