414 ME. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUP.. 



Bugles, drawing himself up pompously, and waving his right hand 

 gracefully towards her ladyship's Arab palfrey, inwardly congratu- 

 lating himself that Miss Glitters was going to be bumped upon it 

 instead of him. 



"Give us a leg up, Secdcy ! " exclaimed Lucy Glitters to the 

 "gent " of the green coat, fearing that Miss Howard, who was a 

 little behind, might claim, the horse. 



Captain Sccdeybuck seized her pretty little uplifted foot and 

 vaulted her into the saddle as light as a cork. Taking the horse 

 gently by the mouth, she gave him the slightest possible touch 

 with the whip, and moved him about at will, instead of fret- 

 ting and fighting him as the clumsy, heavy-handed Bugles had 

 done. She looked beautiful on horseback, and for a time riveted 

 the attention of our sportsmen. At length they began to think of 

 themselves, and then there were such climbiugs on, and clu tellings, 

 and catchings, and clingings, and genUij-\wg%, and who-ho-ings, 

 and who-ah-ings, and questionings if " such a horse was quiet ? " 

 if another " could leap well ? " if a third " had a good mouth ? " 

 and whether a fourth " ever ran away ? " 



" Take my port-stirrup up two 'oles ! " exclaimed Captain 

 Bouncey from the top of high Hop-thc-twig, sticking out a leg to 

 let the groom do it. 



The captain had affected the sea instead of the land-service, 

 while a betting-list keeper, and found the bluff sailor character 

 very taking. 



" Avast there ! " exclaimed he, as the groom ran the buckle up 

 to the desired hole. " Now," said he, gathering up the reins in a 

 bunch, " how many knots an hour can this 'orse go ? " 



'• Twenty," replied the man, thinking he meant miles. 



"Let her go then ! " exclaimed the captain, kicking the horse's 

 sides with his spurless heels. 



Mr. TVatchorn now mounted Harkaway ; Sir Harry scrambled 

 on to Hit-me hard ; Miss Howard was hoisted on to Groggytoes, 

 and all the rest being "fit " with horses of some sort or other, and 

 the races in the front being over, the juveniles poured into the 

 yard, Lady Scattercash's pony-phaeton turned out, and our friends 

 were at length ready for a start. 



