CHAPTER IX 



THE COLOUR OF HOUNDS: THOSE HELPFUL SPLASHES 



OF WHITE 



That " a good horse can't be a bad colour " is an old 

 saying, though it brought John Leech's favourite hero, 

 Mr. Briggs, to grief, being an inducement for him to 

 purchase his famous spotted hunter, who, having been 

 highly trained in a circus, insisted on sitting down on 

 his haunches whenever a band played. Well, we all, 

 I fancy, have our favourite colour for our horses as 

 well as for bright eyes and silken tresses. 



In spite of the legendary romance that lingers about 

 a black, neither hunting men nor men of the Turf are 

 usually fond of the " coal-black steed," though, per- 

 sonally, I have had several very good hunters that 

 were blacks ; and I suppose our favouritisms in colour 

 are the result of pleasant recollections of the doughty 

 deeds of some bright particular stars, either " chestnut 

 or brown, or the flea-bitten grey." This, one would 

 think, can be the only reason for a sportsman pre- 

 ferring to buy a horse of one particular colour, though 

 no doubt an objection to appear conspicuous or outr4 

 might deter many from the purchase of a skewbald or 



