44 JUSTIN MORGAN 



room or on the course, but when, through stress of cir- 

 cumstances, this British officer had to change his mode of 

 Hving, there was a sale of his horses at John Fowler's 

 Tavern, near the Tea- Water Pump, in Bowery Lane. 

 All the favorites went but his especial saddle horse. True 

 Briton — who now frankly admitted to his son his worth 

 and beauty in those days. Indeed, he seemed to have no 

 false modesty about it at all, and confessed his superiority 

 over all his stable-mates, even though among them there 

 were such horses as Lath and Slamerkin. 



According to the accounts of the old horse his youth 

 had been spent in a time the like of which True could 

 never see. He told of the gaily dressed dandies — wait- 

 ing on ladies in silks and satins and waving plumes — ^at 

 the meets ; of the sudden seal of disapproval Congress 

 had put upon the dissipations and extravagances of the 

 race-course; of how the Annapolis Jockey Club had set 

 the foolish fashion of economy by closing its course ; of 

 how the grass grew up in the one-time splendid Centre 

 Course at Philadelphia. 



But of all his anecdotes the tale of how True Briton 

 became a true Patriot interested the young horse most, 

 and ran in this wise : 



Colonel De Lancey was stationed at Westchester with 

 his regiment, which was known far and wide as "The 

 Cow-Boys," because they stole cattle from the "Skin- 

 ners" (a name given the farmers at that time). 



At last the latter resolved to appeal to the Colonel-in- 

 command for a protection of their rights and property. 

 Accordingly, "Skinner Smith" called upon Colonel De 

 Lancey, a white handkerchief tied to a stick, to show a 

 peaceful errand, and made complaint of the depredations 

 of the "Cow-Boys." 



Now the Colonel, ever cool and gay, as became a De 

 Lancey, cried out with a great laugh: 



