212 THE GREATEST RUN 



as nails, wild as a hawk, are all expressions 

 that fitted him. His little failings were 

 discourtesy — for he met strangers visiting 

 his box on his hind-legs and sparred at 

 them — and buck-jumping, at which he could 

 beat anything I ever saw at the Wild West 

 Show, refusing to let anyone hold his bridle 

 or to stand still while being mounted. One 

 great fault he had — he would not, when 

 hounds ran, allow you to open a gate, 

 always managing, if you did succeed in 

 getting your hand out to reach the catch, 

 to dive under your arm and whip round ; 

 while, if anyone opened the gate for you, 

 he went through it like a bullet. But when 

 once I had become familiar with his eccen- 

 tricities, and abandoned all attempts to 

 differ with his methods and manners, I 



