82 HOKSE POKTKAITUKE. 



lately had the pleasure of reading a piece of poetry to 

 commemorate that event. The perusal of that pleased 

 me, finding I was not the only one who had been struck 

 with the grandeur of his appearance, heightened by the 

 darkened orbs, which was the only reason given for in- 

 vesting an inferior, though still noble, animal with the 

 blue ribbon. His groom tried to lead him in alone, but 

 he dashed about so wildly among the trees outside the 

 amphitheatre, that the restraining force of two stalwart 

 men was necessary to keep him from injuring himself ; 

 and when the multitude greeted his appearance with tu- 

 multuous shouts and frantic clapping of hands, he stood 

 a moment immovable, every muscle quivering with energy, 

 his glossy coat glistening in the sunlight, necked with 

 spots of white foam ; the swelling veins appearing as if 

 they would break through the thin covering which hid 

 neither them nor the tension of the muscles, now rigid as 

 steel bars. It was hardly for the space of a second he 

 thus stood, striving against the loss of vision as if he 

 would strain the useless eye-balls out of their sockets, 

 when he bounded as though the trumpet had sounded to 

 start him in another victorious race. These shouts to him 

 were familiar, as they had before reverberated on his ear 

 on the springy Metairie or Classical Association grounds 

 at Lexington, and he could only associate them with vic- 

 tories won, knowing the power was still in his sinewy 

 limbs to repeat the feat. The darkened veil hid that vast 

 assemblage from his sight, but as the garlands of bright 

 flowers woven by the fair fingers of the daughters of the 

 sunny South were placed on his neck, and chaplets of 

 every hue graced his brow, he became quieter, as if aware 

 it was the guerdon due his former prowess. He strode 

 out of the ring with elastic step, his unrivalled pasterns 

 enabling him to walk as gracefully as though he could see 

 the way. 



