INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPORTSMEN. 277 



so, is that speed is one of the great desiderata required ; 

 and again, they are generally pleasanter in their paces 

 and cleverer on their feet. Moreover, I am inclined to 

 believe they can stand hardship and even work better 

 than half-bred brutes ;* at the same time I would par- 

 ticularly caution you against a headstrong, nervous 

 devil, who gallops with his head in the air as if he was 

 star-gazing, or one whose mouth is so hard that it 

 requires constant exertion to keep him under control, for 

 out of such you can never expect to make a good buffalo- 

 runner. Small horses I also prefer to big ones ; it may 

 only be a fancy, but I always think that they are more 

 generally well made and are tougher. Few nags at first 

 will be got to range alongside your quarry, but after a 

 few essays, if practised judiciously, this objection will 

 be overcome. For shooting buffalo when running them, 

 as the range is only a few feet, a large-bored breech- 

 loading pistol will be found the most convenient, as 

 it can be rapidly loaded by placing the stock under 

 your left thigh and between it and the flap of the 

 saddle, and does not require capping, an operation which 

 on horseback can scarcely be performed without using 

 both hands ; and where the riding is rough and irre- 



* During the Crimean campaign I frequently remarked how much 

 better the well-bred horses stood the hardships than those of common 

 lineage. 



