7 6 My First Steeple-chaser. 



die screw is loose j so at the first check he quietly turns his horse's 

 head homewards ; and, as he gently walks him home towards his 

 uncle's stables, picking all the soft places by the roadside, he keeps 

 continually asking himself the oft-repeated question, but for which 

 he has never yet been able to find an answer "What this horse 

 Teally would be worth if he was not such a confounded screw ? 



Having introduced the nephew to the reader, we will now say a 

 few words about the uncle. He was a small but independent gen- 

 tleman-farmer, living in the same village as ourselves, well-to-do, 

 but a very saving card ; and it used to be a standing joke in our 

 hunt when he appeared at the covert side always showingly if not 

 perhaps well mounted that it was even betting which was the 

 greatest screw, the horse or the rider. He was a pleasant, merry 

 little fellow, and considered to be the best judge of a horse in our 

 county : and this was saying no little, for every farmer round us 

 was a breeder, and the names of Lottery, Gaylad, and Peter Simple 

 were a few samples of the many nuggets that were turned up at 

 our " diggings," where everything was dated from the year when 

 so-and-so won the Leger or the Brockelsby. He was a beautiful 

 light weight, with the finest seat and hands on a horse in the world; 

 but he had unfortunately been lamed for life by a tremendous fall. 

 His left leg had been not only broken, but perfectly shattered -, and 

 although the doctors saved it by a miracle, they could never get it 

 straight again ; and from that day he was a cripple for life, and ever 

 after walked with a stick. I do not know, however, whether this 

 misfortune had not its advantages ; for " Pray take care of my poor 

 leg, sir," was a rare password when the old fellow was working 

 through a crowd up to a horse of which he particularly wanted to 

 take stock. I sometimes used to drive him to Lincoln fair, for he 

 bought many a sound horse on commission, though never for 

 himself, and one of his dodges amused me much. We used to seat 

 ourselves upon the bridge, and whenever a horse was led by which 

 he fancied, I was started off to stop him and keep him in price, and 

 thus give the old boy time to hop up and look the horse well over, 

 while I was apparently attempting a deal. And it was worth 



