48 SECOND TRIP TO RUSSIA 



by his novel surroundings, took off too soon, caught his hind 

 legs in the fence, and blundered on to his head. Finding 

 that he was frightened, and not wanting to upset him in the 

 semi-darkness, I sent him back to his stable. 



Next morning, the Grand Duke Nicholas, the Grand 

 Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, several other nobles, A. D.C.'s, 

 and regimental officers arrived in the school, and the horses 

 were paraded before them. The animals most admired were 

 Colonel Kasnakofs mare and the grey gelding, which I 

 mounted and put through his paces. I tried to get off jump- 

 ing him in the school, and explained that his sphere of action 

 was outside, and that I would be happy to show how he 

 could lep in the open ; but all to no purpose, for the Grand 

 Duke Nicholas would brook no refusal. I did my best to 

 make him jump, but he would not go near the obstacle, 

 despite all the humouring I could give him. I felt that with 

 a fight I could make him jump ; but such a victory would, I 

 knew, be worse than a defeat, because it would upset his 

 temper, and would in all probability render him difficult to be 

 ridden by the Grand Duke, in case he wanted to try him. I 

 put the best construction I could on the animal's wayward- 

 ness, got off, and let him be mounted by an officer whom the 

 Grand Duke had specially brought with him to ride the grey. 

 Not being in any way upset, he carried this officer in such 

 nice style that the Grand Duke got up himself and trotted 

 and cantered him with evident satisfaction. Then came the 

 question of price. Above all things I wanted the Grand 

 Duke to have him ; because the purchase would with luck be 

 a valuable advertisement for me. Consequently, I said only 

 2500 roubles, which is as near as possible 250 guineas. As 

 Russians resemble ladies in their love of a bargain, His 

 Imperial Highness would not go beyond 2000 roubles, so I 

 let him have the horse at that really cheap price. A 

 week or two afterwards, Colonel Kasnakof told me that 



