196 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



antipodes," as that was the part where the poor 

 sergeant was principally bitten. As the Yankees 

 say, " My dander riz at thur chaff," and rather in- 

 considerately I told them that the nag had found its 

 master when I bought him, and that even if he had 

 thrown half the French army, and eaten them after- 

 wards, I should mount him on the morrow. " l^ous 

 verrons,^"^ was their reply, with sundry rather uncalled 

 for remarks relative to the foolhardiness of English- 

 men in general and myself in particular ; they ex- 

 pressed their belief that the equestrian performance 

 would end in my being killed comme ime mouche. 



' I received an invitation to breakfast at the 

 cavalry mess the following morning, and being 

 determined to accomplish what I had undertaken, 

 I accepted it. " In for a penny in for a pound," 

 thouo-ht I, as I went to examine the animal, not 

 exactly sure how I intended to begin, for Mr. Earey's 

 system had not then come out. He was in a vile 

 temper ; and notwithstanding I offered him food, and 

 endeavoured to coax him to allow me to pat his neck, 

 he put his ears back, drew up his lips, and attempted 

 to rush at me open-mouthed if I only made a motion 

 as if to approach him. I must confess that for a few 

 minutes I was quite at a nonplus, for there seemed 

 no probability of either getting a saddle on him or a 

 bridle in his mouth. At last a happy thought struck 

 me, and I went home to make preparations. I was , 

 still weak, having hardly got over the effects of m^^ 



