212 THE GREATEST RUN 



as nails, wild as a hawk, are all expressions 

 that fitted him. His little failings were 

 discourtesy for he met strangers visiting 

 his box on] his hind-legs and sparred at 

 them and buck-jumping, at which he could 

 beat anything I ever saw at the Wild West 

 Show, refusing to let anyone hold his bridle 

 or to stand still while being mounted. One 

 great fault he had he would not, when 

 hounds ran, allow you to open a gate, 

 always managing, if you did succeed in 

 getting your hand out to reach the catch, 

 to dive under your arm and whip round ; 

 while, if anyone opened the gate for you, 

 he went through it like a bullet. But when 

 once I had become familiar with his eccen- 

 tricities, and abandoned all attempts to 

 differ with his methods and manners, I 



