348 



difficulty I had in adjusting the matter on reason- 

 able terms between the indignant farmer and my 

 hare-brained friend. This case may save some 

 other scape-grace from a similar calamity. 



I have omitted at the proper place to notice a 

 very important precaution. In taking a warranty, 

 strict attention should be paid to the meaning of 

 any technical expression that may be introduced; 

 as, for instance, a warranty that a horse is " a good 

 hunter/' would be only construed to mean, that he 

 takes his leaps well. The warranty should be ex- 

 tended to " a good hunter, and fast," if speed is also 

 required. This instance will suffice to illustrate my 

 meaning. 



It is impossible to be too careful to use words 

 of familiar purport, and yet specific and precise, 

 in preparing any instrument to operate as an agree- 

 ment; but this is more especially the case in 

 horse warranties, for I have found in talking over 

 the matter with sporting friends, that even the most 

 knowing ones are not agreed as to the exact 

 meaning of the most common phrases used in the 

 ^eld or on the turf. The New Sporting Magazine 

 itself is not always a safe authority! At a late 

 dinner party of sporting men, I was challenged to 

 make good this assertion. I selected three of the 

 most ordinary terms in common use in the field ; 



