2 INTRODUCTION 



breaking shows, the success of which was greatly enhanced 

 by the skilful and plucky manner my wife rode all the bad 

 animals. At this work I had a most enjoyable time, especially 

 with English officers, racing men, planters and Boers, all of 

 whom were keen about horses, and greatly appreciated the 

 theory and practice I taught them. I probably learned as 

 much or more from my pupils than they did from me ; for I 

 had the advantage of a continued course of instruction from 

 new relays of experienced men and artful horses for four or 

 five years. Even the cleverest of us should remember the 

 French saying that a man may know more than anyone, but 

 not more than everyone. My books helped my breaking by 

 introducing me to lovers of horses, and my breaking aided my 

 books by adding to my information. We stayed three years 

 in Calcutta, where I ran a sporting paper, trained and dealt. 

 Though we paid our way and made friends, I felt that I was 

 acting the part of a bad father to those children of my brain, 

 my books, by bringing them up more or less as provincials, 

 and neglecting to confer on them an English polish. About 

 this time my wife and I got in a severe form our periodical 

 attack of trek fever, so we sold Hayes Sporting News, came 

 home, and settled down for the time being at Melton Mowbray, 

 so as to get into touch with the best form of hunting in the 

 old country. While we were there, I wrote Among Men 

 and Horses, which told the tale of our wanderings, and 

 which is now out of print. 



Having spent the money we had made abroad, we 

 happened to be hard up at that time, much to the astonish- 

 ment of our friends, who wrongly thought that the success 

 of our books would have enabled us to have hunted 

 comfortably on the best of horses six days a week during 

 the season. Probably my lack of business capacity was the 

 cause of our inability to do so ; for we backed no horses, ran 

 up no tailors' bills, and chucked about money in no other 



