1 96 THE HUNTING FIELD 



Punch says has turned three hundred years, and Boss 

 had learnt a thing or two. Among other things Boss 

 had learned that half the people who hunted from 

 Brighton only hunted for the sake of wearing red 

 coats, and that they were never so happy as when 

 they got off their horses, having qualified to strut on 

 the flags and tell their exploits to the ladies. The 

 only difficulty of doing that is an excuse for coming 

 home, and Boss saw that a horse that would furnish 

 his own excuse would not only be in great request, 

 but would also be able to go out very often. Accord- 

 ingly, he threw himself in Blatherington's way as, 

 slipper on foot, Claudius and he re-entered Brighton 

 by luncheon time, having disposed of a shoe about 

 Firle. Boss, of course, knew the horse's infirmity, 

 and finding Brown in the parting mood, they very 

 soon made a deal. Well, Claudius was the most 

 popular horse that ever entered Brighton — like a 

 belle at a ball, he was always engaged three or four 

 deep. His colour was greatly in his favour, for 

 though it is a generally received axiom that a white 

 horse should always be forward, yet as it takes half- 

 a-dozen fields or half-a-dozen fences to settle people 

 properly in their places, a horse that always declined 

 before the rubicon was reached could never be said 

 to be conspicuously behind. Indeed Claudius always 

 looked most promising. When other mad devils 

 were yawning and boring, and rushing and shaking 

 their heads, like terriers with rats in their mouths, 

 Claudius was as cool and collected as possible, taking 

 his fences as though he meant to go on fencing all 

 day. But that was all deception — Claudius was an 

 honest horse, and never disappointed his rider; as 

 sure as he came to the sixth fence, so sure would a 

 shoe be gone or going. Then, with well feigned 

 regret and disgust, the rider would pull up, and after 

 receiving the condolence of the passing field, would 

 cast about in search of a smithy, and slipper on foot 



