190 . THE BAY MAEE. 



and I had been on terms of the greatest 

 intimacy with him. However, he quickly 

 parted with the mare, and I had for- 

 gotten her, though not the very serious 

 hazard she had put me to. 



About three years after this I was at 

 Portsdown Fair, where I was in the 

 habit of meeting persons in the same 

 business as myself. One of them, a par- 

 ticular friend from Southampton, and a 

 most excellent judge of a horse, saw me in 

 the act of purchasing a nice little bay 

 mare. He walked away while I mounted 

 her with the intention of riding her 

 home. Turning her head in that di- 

 rection, she set off at full gallop down 

 the hill, kicking and plunging all the way, 

 but getting safe into the village at 

 the foot of the hill. I dismounted, 

 and, upon a little further examination, 

 recognized the identical animal that had 

 before endangered my life. I had now 

 become a married man; and being likely 



