XIV INTRODUCTION. 



should be most happy to attend to his wishes in this 

 respect. Indeed, I was dehghted in having an oppor- 

 tunity of convincing the General, that I was not un- 

 grateful for the kindness I had long ago experienced 

 at his hands. I assured him I would do all in my 

 power to bring his horse to post in the best possible 

 condition ; and, if I was successful, it would be \ery 

 gratifying to my feelings. General Vivian immediately 

 sent to England for a horse, and a brown gelding (a 

 cock-tail), named Lustre, was sent out to him; and 

 shortly after that, another, a chesnut mare, was also 

 sent out, named Momentilla, and both of them were 

 placed under my care to be trained. 



Having these two horses to get ready to run, and 

 one or two other stables now and then to superintend, 

 I began to regret the loss of that practical knowledge 

 I formerly possessed, and which my change of situa- 

 tion had for so many years deprived me of the oppor- 

 tunity of cultivating. This was a circumstance which 

 brought me to think very seriously, not only of what 

 I had undertaken, but, also, how it was to be effected. 

 Calling to mind, however, the regularity of the stables, 

 and the treatment adopted in the working of different 

 horses standing at such stables as I had been accus- 

 tomed to live in, I speedily regained confidence, and 

 soon began to understand tolerably well what I was 

 about ; and by carefully attending to the different con- 

 stitutions and tempers of the horses under my care, I 

 cautiously put in practice that treatment by which I 



