Professor Sample. 101 



an American of middle height and of well-nourished ap- 

 pearance. His discourse consisted of a strange medley of 

 childish remarks about the physiology of the horse, droll 

 stories, and singularly acute observations on * the noble 

 animal.' Though not well educated, he was full of humour, 

 self-reliant, and had the gift of holding the attention of his 

 audience. I was charmed With his originality, and felt that 

 I was in the presence of a man who had something new to 

 tell about my favourite study. After he had done speaking, 

 a Mr Sydney Galvayne got up and began to hold forth in 

 a style which made me feel sick ; for he was very common- 

 place. He acknowledged that he had learned ' the system ' 

 from Sample in Australia, and told wonderful stories about 

 his own horse-taming feats and powers. The two ' professors ' 

 did absolutely nothing except talk, and inform their audience 

 that Professor Sample would impart ' the system ' at five 

 guineas a head. This, as might have been expected, did 

 not 'draw' the London public. Contrary to the course 

 mapped out for Rarey by his clever manager, Goodenough, 

 Sample produced no reformed Cruiser, and yet he was incom- 

 parably superior to his predecessor in the line they both took 

 up. The show had been widely advertised. The Professor's 

 pleasant-looking portrait was hung out on both sides of 

 nearly every omnibus in London, and yet the essential 

 element of success, namely, the taming of a well-known 

 vicious horse was neglected. Sample, with the true instinct 

 of a born showman, gave a highly creditable taming per- 

 formance with a quiet horse or two, and he showed such 

 a number of smart breaking dodges to the members of his 

 class, of which I was one, that he saved himself from being 

 termed an impostor ; although he lost about a thousand 

 pounds by the venture. He stayed at the Langham Hotel ; 

 wore an immense diamond shirt-stud ; carried a fifty-guinea 

 watch which had been presented to him by an appreciative 

 Australian * class ' ; and fancied himself as one of the greatest 

 men that had ever lived. We became acquainted, and I saw a 



