;& My First Steeple-chaser, 



tlie screw is loose; so at the first check he quid 17 turns his horse's 

 head homewards ; and, as he gently walks him home towards his 

 uncle's stables, picking all the soft places hj the roadside, he keeps 

 continually asking himself the oft-repeated question, but for which 

 he has never yet been able to find an answer — ^What this horse 

 really would be worth if he was not such a confounded screw? 



Having introduced the nephew to the reader, w^e will now say a 

 few words about the uncle. He was a small but independent gen- 

 tleman-farmer, living in the same village as ourselves, well-to-do, 

 but a very saving card ; and it used to be a standing joke in our 

 hunt when he appeared at the covert side — always showingly if not 

 perhaps well mounted — that it was even betting which was the 

 greatest screw, the horse or the rider. He was a pleasant, merry 

 little fellow, and considered to be the best judge of a horse in our 

 county : and this was saying no little, for every farmer round us 

 was a breeder, and the names of Lottery, Gaylad, and Peter Simple 

 were a few samples of the many nuggets that were turned up at 

 our "^ diggings," where everything was dated from the year when 

 so-and-so won the Leger or the Brockelsby. He was a beautiful 

 light weight, with the finest seat and hands on a horse in the world; 

 but he had imfortunately been lamed for hfe by a tremendous fall. 

 His left leg had been not only broken, but perfectly shattered ; and 

 although the doctors saved it by a miracle, they could never get it 

 straight again ; and from that day he was a cripple for life, and ever 

 after walked wlih. a stick. I do not know, however, whetlier this 

 misfortune had not its advantages ; for " Pray take care of my poor 

 leg, sir," was a rare password when the old fellow was working 

 through a crowd up to a horse of which he particularly \^^^nted to 

 take stock. I sometimes used to drive him to Lincoln fair, for he 

 bought many a sound horse on commission, though never for 

 himself, and one of his dodges amused me much. We used to seat 

 ourselves upon the bridge, and whenever a horse was led by which 

 he fancied, I was started off to stop him and keep him in price, and 

 thus give the old boy time to hop up and look the horse well over, 

 while I was apparently attempting a deal. And it was worth 



