190 A BAD MATCH 



and spoken to the team, than he turned himself round, 

 with his head over the other horse's loins, then reared 

 on his hind legs as if he were going over his partner, then 

 plunged, then came back on the bars with his hocks, then 

 fought with his forefeet, shaking his head, and playing 

 all sorts of tricks except kicking. It was fortunate I 

 had a gentleman on the box who knew something about 

 horses, and had confidence in my judgment. Presently 

 the animal set his forefeet out, fixed his jaws, put his 

 ears back, and remained motionless, saying as plainly as 

 such actions will speak, " I won't go." 



" What do you mean to do now, ]\Ir. ? " said my 



companion. 



The horse-keeper was about to hit him with a stick out 

 of the hedge. 



" Let him alone," cried T. 



With my wheel-horses both well poled and curbed up, 

 so that I had full command of the coach as well as of them 

 and the near leader, a powerful and very quick horse, I 

 sat patiently, with my eyes fixed on my new acquaintance. 

 He remained in the position I have described some two 

 or three minutes ; then I observed a motion in the skin 

 of his neck like a slight relaxation of the muscles ; his 

 ears first almost imperceptibly moved, then nervously 

 pricked forward. Suddenly, with one bound he went off; 

 the other horse was with him instantly, and keeping the 

 wheel-horses up, we went a merry pace for the first mile, 

 when we gradually dropped into a fair trot till we reached 

 the " Wheat Sheaf," at Barkway, where we pulled up. 

 It being up-hill nearly all the way, there was no danger 

 of his getting the better of me. Here we stoj^ped two or 



