8 WHIP AND SPUR. 



an idle propensity, not a whit dulled yet, to 

 linger over Leech's long-necked hunters, and 

 Herring's field scenes; an almost superstitious 

 faith in the different analyses of the bones of 

 the racer and of the cart-horse; a firm belief 

 in Frank Forester's teachings of the value of 

 " blood," — all these conspired to narrow my 

 range of selection, and, unfortunately, to con- 

 fine it to a very expensive class of horses. 



Unfortunately, again, the commissioners of the 

 Park had extremely inconvenient ideas of econ- 

 omy, and evidently did not consider, in fixing 

 their schedule of salaries, how much more satis- 

 factory our positions would have been with more 

 generous emolument. 



How a man with only a Park salary, and with 

 a family to support, could set up a saddle-horse, 

 — and not ride to the dogs, — was a question that 

 exercised not a little of my engineering talent 

 for weeks ; and many an odd corner of plans and 

 estimates was figured over with calculations of 

 the cost of forage and shoeing. 



Stable-room was plenty and free in the con- 



