200 SPORTING STORIES 



mounted him, rode him for an hour, found him perfectly 

 quiet, and purchased him there and then, with a warranty. 

 For two whole days he justified the seller's encomiums. 

 On the third, as Sir George was going to mount him, he 

 raised his near hind leg and kicked the stirrup-iron away ; 

 he repeated this performance again and again, whichever 

 side his owner tried to mount. Sir George tried him 

 without the saddle, and then he crouched like a camel. 

 That day the horse kicked an ostler and laid him up ; 

 the next morning he kicked another. He was sent to 

 the hammer ; but before he was sold he kicked a third of 

 Sir George's servants, and within a month killed the horse- 

 dealer who bought him. Curious to know the reason for 

 its being so docile for the first three days, Sir George 

 tipped one of the men at the livery-stables where he had 

 purchased the horse. It had been tied up to the rack day 

 and night for a week before, and never allowed to sleep 

 except standing. This was discipline enough to tame a 

 tiger. 



Sir Francis Doyle tells an amusing story of horse- 

 dealing in which the late Sir William Harcourt figured. 

 Sir William had bought a hunter for lOO guineas, 

 which, after using for a season, he put out to livery. He 

 was at this time a barrister with a large practice, and, 

 immersed in his briefs, he forgot all about the horse. At 

 last, when going to Scotland for the shooting season, he 

 wrote to the livery-stable keeper and offered it to him for 

 ^70. The offer was accepted ; but when he applied for the 

 money, instead of a cheque, a bill for £71, los. was forwarded 

 to him for keep, shoeing, physicking, and all kinds of other 

 expenses. " But," added the creditor, " I will not insist on 

 the odd thirty shillings, and if you like to send me a 

 receipt for £^0 we will cry quits." And the victim had 

 no alternative but to comply. 



One of the wise sayings of old John Warde was, " Never 

 believe a word any man says about a horse he wishes to 

 sell — no, not even a bishop " ; and that he was justified in not 

 even exempting " the cloth " from suspicion the following 

 anecdote proves : — 



Many years ago a French gentleman named Lafane 



