THOROUGH-BRED HORSES. 1 73 



accomplish his task. It is not that he has less valour, 

 but more discretion ! In the monotonous process 

 of training, he has acquired, with other tiresome tricks, 

 the habit of doing as little as he can, in the different 

 paces, walk, canter, and gallop, of which he has become 

 so weary. Even the excitement of hunting till hounds 

 really run, hardly dissipates his aristocratic lethargy, 

 but only get him in front for one of those scurries that, 

 perhaps twice in a season turn up a fox in twenty 

 minutes, and if you dare trust him, you will be surprised 

 at the brilliant performance of your idle, negligent, 

 wayward young friend. He bends kindly to the bridle 

 he objected to all the morning, he tucks his quarters in, 

 and scours through the deep ground like a hare, he 

 slides over rather than jumps his fences, with the easy 

 swoop of a bird on the wing, and when everything 

 of meaner race has been disposed of a field or two 

 behind, he trots up to some high bit of timber, and 

 leaps it gallantly without a pause, though only 

 yesterday he would have turned round to kick at it for 

 an hour ! 



Still, there are many chances against your having 

 such an opportunity as this. Most days the hounds 

 do not run hard. When they do, you are perhaps so 

 unfortunate as to lose your start, and finally, should 



