60 WARRANTY OF 



therefore selected and marked one for her use, and 

 very shortly afterwards she ceased stumbling. 



Her groom had always considered this habit to be a 

 mischievous trick on her part, induced by her recollect- 

 ing having been brought home by her master in con- 

 sequence of the stumbling ; and he told me that if she 

 had been well punished in the first instance, she would 

 have had the trick flogged out of her, and would have 

 given no subsequent trouble. I myself believe that had 

 such a course been adopted, the mare would have had 

 her knees broken, and that fistula would soon have 

 been developed upon her withers. 



As it now appeared that, though she had ceased to 

 stumble or go lame when ridden with an ordinary 

 saddle, she invariably went lame when ridden by a lady. 

 I was asked whether I could account for this peculiarity 

 otherwise than by cunning. Again I referred the evil 

 to the saddle ; and, upon inquiry, I found that the 

 owner had hitherto been unable to procure a side-saddle 

 of such a make as not to raw the back of the mare 

 when used by a lady for an hour or two at a time, 

 making it necessary, therefore, that the next _ day 

 should be, so to speak, wasted in paying attention to 

 the abrasion thus produced. I also ascertained that the 

 stuffing of the side-saddle had been altered and shifted 

 every time she went out about three times a week. I 

 sent for the saddler and showed him what was wanting ; 

 but he either could not, or would not understand me ; 



