DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 29 



thing straight. Do what I would, I could not get 

 him from his zigzag course to and from the peopled 

 doorsteps. I could pull his head round until it pointed 

 in the desired direction, but the body of the animal 

 drifted as his will desired, until T felt that I was lapsing 

 into a wish to use my tongue as I had heard my father's 

 men do to jibbing horses. 



'Please, Phil, don't whip him so. Where is the 

 need for hurrying past ? Am I not looking nice ? ' 



'This anima.1 seems to think you are looking more 

 than nice, and is determined to show you round.' 



The pony went fairly well in the uninhabited por- 

 tions of our drives, but stop he would when he met 

 any one he knew, and he seemed to know every one 

 we met. His best paces were reserved for coming home, 

 and we soon found out that he would turn his head the 

 other way so as not to see indi\iduals with v/hom he 

 would have desired to stop and speak on his outward 

 journey, I had ridden and driven a number of Exmoor 

 ponies, but this one had more tricks than the whole 

 bunch, and at the back of them a temper that was hard 

 for me to master accompanied as I was. One mornirg 

 he came from his stall dead lame in the off fore-leg, 

 but after a touch with the whip and a run round the yard 

 the lam.eness was in one of his hind legs. By far the 

 most troublesome day was when, forgetful of his age 

 or determined to impose upon my innocence, he capered 

 like a colt before he could be got between the shafts, 

 or, perhaps, it was to show me what a terrible time 

 we should have if I did not allow him to go the road 

 he wished and stop when he pleased. It was most 

 unfortunate that we had decided on a lengthy journey 

 to Brayford, for he objected, indeed, refused, to go 

 a yard beyond the inn at Sherracombe. I gave him 

 a sounding whack, but the only notice he took of it 

 was to turn his head to see if his friend was with me, 

 and having satisfied himself on that point, he sat 

 back in the breeching, which just held him up from 



