A Sensitive Mouth. 69 



the horse bounds by might evoke more satisfac- 

 tory results. Here is a life-work worthy of the 

 best of animal painters. Who will take it up.f* 

 I plead for " more light." 



XIX. 



To return to our muttons, it is not too much to 

 aver that any well-trained horse knows much more 

 than the average good equestrian. It requires a 

 light and practiced hand to evoke Patroclus' 

 highest powers. He has never refused an obsta- 

 cle with his master, or failed to clear what he 

 fairly went at. But the least uncertainty be- 

 trayed in the hand, and Patroclus knows some- 

 thing is wrong, and acts accordingly. 



I learned a good lesson about spoiling him 

 for my own comfort not long ago, when asked the 

 privilege of riding him over a few hurdles on my 

 lawn by a friend who had an excellent seat in the 

 saddle, but liked, and had been used to a horse 

 who seized hold of the bridle. Patroclus took 

 the first, but to my own and my friend's surprise 

 quite refused the second, and could by no means 

 be persuaded to face it. On my friend's yielding 

 me the saddle, I mounted, and walked Patroclus 

 up to the hurdle with a firm word of encourage- 

 ment ; and though he wavered, he took it on a 

 standing jump. The slight reward of a tuft of 

 grass and a pat made him do better on the second 



