238 FIELD AND FERN. 



bed. Save by one other man, who asked us to re- 

 commend him a prophet, we never heard the name of 

 a race-horse breathed before we got to Perth. 



If his countrymen were dead on the point, Dr. 

 Murray completely atoned for them. The history 

 of The Cure was the first great subject, and he 

 spake of the bay on this wise : " Mr. Rait 

 got The Cure from Lord Airlie. He had been a 

 year in England, and got Lambton from Elphine by 

 Birdcatcher. While Mr. Rait had him he hadn't 

 a thorough-bred mare, and only three or four 

 half-bred ones. They tried to make a hunter of him, 

 but he wouldn't jump over a stick, or these slippers 

 of mine. He gave them some desperate falls, and 

 broke a groom's leg, so he was sent to Mr. Jones, 

 and then he came to me. He was offered to a veteri- 

 nary surgeon gratis, but he declined him ; so I said 

 to Mr. Jones, f I'll give you three half-crowns for 

 him. 3 I had never seen him, mind you ; but I knew 

 all about his running. So he was sent over. I saw 

 a pony thing coming up the brae, and I said to my- 

 self, f That round Highland pom/ of a horse win the 

 Champagne, and run second to Foig-a-Ballagh for the 

 Leger* There was quite a revolution in my views of a 

 race-horse. He was lame on the off foreleg. Thinks I 

 to myself, 'He's only ten or eleven j I can surely mend 

 him at that age;' so I paid my 7s. 6d., and I blistered 

 his leg. Mind you, the three legs which wern't lame 

 had running thrushes, which I healed. The leg be- 

 came fine after blistering. I never use bandages. 



