Colonel Pole Carew. 2 1 3 



saw fetched 23 a piece for tramway work, at which they 

 have given great satisfaction. While I am writing there are 

 a couple of thoroughbred South American fillies imported by 

 him in my paddock. They are good-looking, smart animals 

 with first-rate shoulders, and were sent to me to break and 

 train by Mr F. Pritchard. They give so much * promise ' 

 that there is every probability of the experiment being re- 

 peated on a large scale in the near future. 



We were not long in London before we met our old friend, 

 Sample, who had perfected and patented in all countries his 

 invention for taming horses by machinery, and was then 

 showing it at Hengler's Circus, with Mr Blundell Williams, 

 who was financing the speculation, as manager. The show, 

 as might have been expected, was even a worse * frost ' than 

 that of 1885 ; for it was all machine and no amusement. I 

 remember once meeting in town Colonel Pole Carew, who 

 was military secretary to Lord Roberts and who had attended 

 one of my classes abroad, ' Come to teach the Cockneys how to 

 break-in their horses ? ' asked the cheery guardsman. ' No,' 

 I replied, * I have come to England only to bring out books.' 

 * You are quite right,' he said, ' Londoners do not want to 

 learn anything ; they only wish to be amused.' I felt the 

 truth of Colonel Carew's remarks, as I sat in the almost 

 empty circus and watched Sample's dreary performance ; and 

 thought how different it would be, if he had in the ring a wild 

 South American broncho or two, which he might have easily 

 procured, and a brave man to be bucked ofT. He could then 

 reduce the ' terror ' to obedience, teach him to jump, put up a 

 young lady who would ride the animal about the place, hop 

 him over some hurdles, and ' draw ' all London. That was 

 the programme my wife and I would have adopted had we 

 been in Sample's place. Had he not been infatuated with 

 this infernal machine, he might have extracted a few jokes 

 out of it ; but he would treat it seriously, at a time when his 

 audience were pining to be made laugh. The show soon 

 came to an end, and he and his machine were left stranded. 



