264 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



lant Colonel still at breakfast, of which he cordially 

 invited me to partake, and, after having done jus- 

 tice to his hospitality, I broached the subject. At 

 first he merely shrugged his shoulders, in true 

 Frenchman's style, but finding I was really anxious 

 to have the animal, he told me that he should be 

 very glad to take anything for him ; but that he 

 did not like to dispose of him to any of his friends, 

 as he was worthless, and people might accuse him 

 of selling a horse to another that he dare not 

 mount himself. I soon quieted his scruples on 

 that score, and for the sum of six hundred francs 

 (hardly the price of his freight from Algeria), the 

 chestnut was mine. 



It soon got wind in the French camp that an 

 English officer had bought " le Diahle Roii^e," as 

 he was commonly called, being a well-known despe- 

 rate character, who had proved to be more than a 

 match for all their mattres d'equitation, and I had 

 to stand a good deal of badinage about my bar- 

 gain ; some of them asking me in a rather super- 

 cilious manner, when I was going to mount my 

 new purchase, advising me when I did so to wear 



