WORK IN VAIN 181 



Getting sick of the old kicker, which I found on my bi- 

 weekly visits had been under private instruction in vice, and 

 wishing to teach the officers something really useful, I hired 

 at my own expense from Bosse's manege a horse that was one 

 of the most obstinate refusers I had ever seen. Besides, he 

 carried his head right up in the air when being ridden. He 

 was an old horse, and, except for these two vices, he was quiet. 

 Although I purposely refrained from giving him any instruction 

 at Bosse's place, and worked him only on the two days a week 

 I went to the Officers' School, I got him in five or six lessons 

 to jump kindly and well, to bend his neck, and to carry his 

 head in proper position. I need hardly say that my good 

 friend, Herr Bosse, did not allow him to be spoiled during 

 the intervals between the times I had him. The only effect 

 which this good work had on the officers was to make them 

 jeer at the reformed character for being an " old lady's horse." 

 I then had to acknowledge to myself for the first time in my 

 life, that I had met with men whom I had failed to interest 

 in horse-breaking. After this unsuccessful struggle of about 

 three months, I accepted my defeat and took things easily for 

 the remaining thirty days. 



All the time I was at the Officers' School, the seniors 

 played the old game of passive resistance, and the young 

 officers remained indignant that they should be obliged to 

 attend my classes, instead of being allowed to go off and 

 amuse themselves. They even sought my sympathy, which 

 I honestly extended to them. They truly represented to me 

 that breaking was a subject in which they had no interest ; 

 for their business was to ride well-broken horses, and not to 

 break in young ones. Hence, do what I could, almost all of 

 them viewed my work with indifference, if not with contempt 

 Two or three of them, when no one was listening, told me 

 that they liked my methods very much, and asked for a loan 

 of my book on breaking or for patterns of my gear, which of 



