CRABBING A HORSE 177 



long and fatiguing field-days. Fillis informed me that the 

 grey was-a remarkably nice horse big, good-looking, strong, 

 temperate, and such a grand galloper that when on him 

 Fillis could easily give the go-bye to anyone with whom he 

 was riding. About this time, so Fillis told me, General 

 Strukof had a horse a grey one, if I remember rightly 

 which he wanted the Grand Duke to buy, and to secure this 

 end, he "crabbed" my importation to His Imperial Highness 

 by saying that the animal's feet were badly formed, and that 

 he was liable to fall down at any time. This condemnation 

 was contrary to Fillis' opinion, and was absolutely unfounded, 

 as I would have been only too glad to have proved. It had 

 the effect, however, of making the Grand Duke sell the grey 

 gelding and buy the other, which Fillis told me was much 

 inferior to my former property. I subsequently learned that 

 the gelding was purchased from the Grand Duke by a 

 colonel in command of one of the Guard regiments, and is 

 doing well. An officer of the Guards who had ridden him 

 agreed in my presence with everything that Fillis had said 

 in praise of the animal. Had I been a Russian, I would 

 probably have been sent off to Siberia ! 



Whether the "crabbing" of the grey gelding by General 

 Strukof, or the news that I had sold to Colonel Kasnakof 

 a supposed roarer which turned out to be sound in her 

 wind (p. 91), was the cause of the Grand Duke giving me 

 the cold shoulder, I do not know ; but the fact remains 

 that on my return from the cadres to St. Petersburg, the 

 information seemed to have been passed round among the 

 officers that I was out of favour with superior authority. 

 Colonel Ismailof would hardly speak to me; General 

 Derfelden would not see me ; and all my other acquaintances 

 who had formerly gushed in the effusive manner peculiar to 

 Russians, withdrew the light of their countenance. This 

 treatment in no way annoyed me ; for I had more than 

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