KIRKCONNEL AND SIR BLUNDELL 137 



manipulating his hocks and other joints and discussing 

 this or that point with one another. As I did not 

 understand their language this was apt to get on the 

 nerves, for if they should cast the horse for any reason, 

 hitherto unknown to me, it would have been better not 

 to have offered him to them. 



Then came the test for his wind, and they kept him 

 going on the lunge for about twenty minutes. Finally 

 Carnage satisfied them, and we went into the park and 

 saw mares, one of which, Dorcas, pleased the Count not 

 a little, and at last he agreed to give 7500 guineas and 

 old St Gatien for Carnage, and to take Dorcas for 1 200 

 guineas. It was not a bad transaction ; for St Gatien, 

 who replaced Carnage at Cobham, was sold for 1500 

 guineas to go to America, where he died at Mr J. B. 

 Haggin's stud. Unfortunately Carnage developed pneu- 

 monia on reaching Graditz. He recovered but never 

 did much good afterwards. 



I knew Count Lehndorff so well, and he me, that 

 he several times was content to buy animals that I 

 recommended without seeing them himself. 



An earlier sale to him was that of the Two Thousand 

 Guineas winner, Kirkconnel, for 5000 guineas. I had 

 dined with Sir Blundell Maple at Falmouth House, 

 Newmarket, and defeated Mr Bird (who managed for 

 him) at billiards. Sir Blundell then propounded the idea 

 that I should undertake the sale of Kirkconnel for 5000 

 guineas and be allowed one year in which to do it, the 

 5 per cent, (guineas) commission to be credited, in any 

 event, if the horse was sold by anybody else. That seemed 

 all right, so I wrote next day to Count Lehndorff, who said 

 he was coming to England and would go and see the horse. 

 This he did on a Saturday, and went with me by train 



