226 VICIOUS HORSES 



bred on our run. Before you bought him not a 

 hand on the place could sit him." It was true ! 

 A man who could lay no claim to being a horse- 

 man or a rough rider had induced a confirmed 

 bucker to complacently amble along a Bush road 

 with him. But to pretend that he had succeeded 

 where better men had failed would be a false 

 statement. For only so long as he believed that 

 he had bought an unusually quiet horse could he 

 ride the bay with comfort ; and on ascertaining 

 that what he had imagined was a new chum's 

 mount was a bucker in disguise, he promptly got 

 rid of it : considering that the risk of keeping a 

 horse with such a black past was too heavy for a 

 nervous man to incur. 



Let us find another illustration in England. 

 When Sea-Song was running on the Turf, he 

 afforded another instance of a vicious horse 

 being magnanimous ; or, perhaps, he was forget- 

 ful. Just before he was saddled for a race at 

 Ascot, I saw a young lady look with wonder- 

 ment at his leather muzzle, and then, with the 

 confidence of ignorance, walk round to his hind- 

 quarters, and stand within easy kicking distance, 

 whilst she pointed at his heels with her parasol. 

 Every second I was in terror lest the queer- 

 tempered racer should injure her, for she waved 

 the parasol so close to him that, knowing his 

 character, I was surprised at his forbearance. 



I implored Sea-Song's admirer to excuse me 

 for capturing her very artistic Sarah-gamp, and 

 for gently removing her out of reach of one of 

 the worst-tempered horses I had ever seen in 



