THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 265 



in a moment the horse became less res- 

 tive, stood still, shivered a little as from 

 cold, and from that moment his spirit was 

 gone. 



Strange as this must appear, it is a 

 fact ; but how, and by what means, the 

 miracle was wrought, must be left for 

 wiser heads than mine to determine. It 

 is, nevertheless, unquestionably true, 

 that the horse became perfectly docile. 

 I rode him frequently after he had passed 

 through the enchanter's hands, and a 

 more tractable quadruped I never wish to 

 bestride. 



After this adventure with the sorcier, 

 we frequently drove over to Monsieur de 



G 's chateau, as we had carte blanche 



to beat up his quarters whenever we felt 

 so inclined ; his cuisine and his cave were 

 worth visiting ; and this hospitable man- 

 sion being in the neighbourhood of the 



VOL. II. N 



