DUTCHMAN AXX> AWFUL. 161 



able. He was a great, coarse, ugly, brown liorse, with a short 

 hogneck, a fearful borer when going, with his head down, and 

 his neck thrust obstinately out before him, and was in all re- 

 spects about the most ungainly goer, and the most unpleasant 

 horse to drive, I ever sat behind. 



He could go the pace, however, at a long boring stroke ; was 

 , very honest, and had any amount of bottom and endurance re- 

 quired. At all events, out of the brickyard Mr. Barker bought 

 him, and the beast — for a beast he was in all respects, except 

 to make money of him — did him good service ; and, what is 

 strange to tell, the master and the horse finished their career, a 

 good fellow and a good animal, within a few days one of the 

 other. 



Awful, on the other hand, was a tall, spiry, dashing, blood- 

 looking bright bay, with, I think, a white star ; a very upstand- 

 ing sort of horse, with a curious style of high sprawling action, 

 and a peculiar bouncing way of going from side to side. 



He was a very queer-tempered horse, easily scared, and, 

 when alarmed, violent and headlong ; but he liad a great turn 

 of speed, fair endurance, and was for a time supposed to be the 

 phenomenon. But he could not live up to his early show, 

 among such horses as Forrest and Dutchman, not to speak of 

 others, Lady Suffolk among the rest — altliongh the Lady was 

 as yet but in her gristle, and Bryan, her owner and trainer — 

 who never was like to set the Hudson on fire — was in his most 

 verdant greenness. 



Still he must not be undervalued, for he was a great good 

 horse, not very far from being quite the best of his day, and 

 that day not a day to be in any sort disparaged. 



He was bred by Mr. Thomas Laird of Monmouth Co., X. J., 

 the famous trainer, and was got by " American Boy " out of an 

 " Expedition " mare, said to be thoroughbred. 



It is said in the "Spirit of the Times" of this year, that 

 " Awful and Paul Pry are the only thoroughbred horses on the 

 trotting tuif." 



Whether " Awful " actually was so, I cannot say ; but he 



had all the appearance of being so, and such he was generally 



reported in his day. As to " Paul Pry," I hioio, from the best 



authority, liis owner, with whom I have frequently conversed 



Vol. T1.— 11 



