C2 ME. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



Sponge, having had a glass of brandy, just mounted with the 

 air of a man thoroughly at home with his horse, and drawing the 

 rein, with a slight feel of the spur, passed on from the door to 

 make way for the redoubtable Hercules. Hercules was evidently 

 not in a good- hum our. His ears were laid back, and the rolling 

 white eye showed mischief. Sponge saw all this, and turned 

 to see whether Thornton's clumsy, wash-ball seat, would be able 

 to control the fractious spirit of the horse. 



" Whoay ! " roared Thornton, as his first dive at the stirrup 

 missed, and was answered by a hearty kick out from the horse, 

 the " whoay " being given in a very different tone to the gentle, 

 •coaxing style of Mr. Buckram and his men. Had it not been for 

 the brandy within and the lookers-on without, there is no saying 

 but Caingey would have declined the horse's further acquaintance. 

 As it was, he quickly repeated his attempt at the stirrup with the 

 same sort of domineering " whoay" adding, as he landed in the 

 saddle and snatched at the reins, " Do you think I stole you ? " 



Whatever the horse's opinion might be on that point, he didn't 

 seem to care to express it, for finding kicking alone wouldn't do, 

 he immediately commenced rearing too, and by a desperate plunge, 

 broke away from the groom, before Thornton had either got him 

 by the head or his feet in the stirrups. Three most desperate 

 bounds he gave, rising at the bit as though he would come back 

 over if the hold was not relaxed, and the fourth effort bringing 

 him to the opposite kerb-stone, he up again with such a bound 

 and impetus that he crashed right through Messrs. Frippery and 

 Flummery's fine plate-glass window, to the terror and astonishment 

 of their elegant young counter-skippers, who were busy arranging 

 their ribbons and finery for the day. Eight through the window 

 Hercules went, swiching through book muslins and bareges as he 

 would through a bullfinch, and attempting to make his exit by a 

 large plate-glass mirror against the wall of the cloak-room beyond, 

 which he clashed all to pieces with his head. "Worse remains to be 

 told. "Multum in Parvo," seeing his old comrade's hind-quarters 

 disappearing through the window, just took the bit between his 

 teeth, and followed, in spite of Mr. Sponge's every effort to turn 

 him ; and when at length he got him hauled round, the horse was 

 found to have decorated himself with a sky-blue visite trimmed 

 with Honiton lace, which he wore like a charger on his way to the 

 Crusades, or a steed bearing a knight to the Eglinton tournament. 



Quick as it happened, and soon as it was over, all Laverick 

 Wells seemed to have congregated in the street as our heroes rode 

 •out of the folding glass-doors. 



