26 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HORSEBACK. 



to see men and note the products of their toil and 

 to learn something of their manners and customs. 



Having therefore decided to make my journey in the 

 saddle, I at once set about to secure such a horse as 

 was likely to meet the requirements of my undertak- 

 ing. As soon as my purpose was known, horses of 

 every grade, weight and shade were thrust upon my 

 attention and after some three weeks spent in advertis- 

 ing, talks with horse fanciers and in the livery and sale 

 stables of Boston, my choice fell upon a Kentucky 

 Black Hawk, one of the finest animals I had ever seen 

 and, as was subsequently established, just the horse I 

 wanted for my long ride from sea to sea. 



His color w^as coal black, w'ith a white star in the 

 forehead and four white feet ; long mane and tail : 

 height fifteen hands ; weight between ten and eleven 

 hundred pounds, with an easy and graceful movement 

 under the saddle ; his make-up was all that could be de- 

 sired for the objects I had in view. The price asked 

 for this beautiful animal was promptly' paid, and it was 

 generally conceded that I had shown excellent judg- 

 ment in the selection of my equin© companion. 



A few days after my purchase I learned that my 

 four-legged friend had been but a short time before the 

 property of an ex-governor of Massachusetts and that 

 the reason he had but recently found his way into a livery 

 stable on Portland street, was that he had acquired 

 the very bad habit of running away whenever he saw 

 a railway train or anything else, in short, that tended 

 to disturb his naturallv excitable nature. This infor- 

 mation led to no regrets, however, nor did it even 

 lessen my regard for the noble animal which was des- 



