THE WATSON HOUSE. 201 



" Do n't say a word. I am entirely to blame ; not the 

 horse. I drove him all over the city, and never had a 

 horse drive nicer. But somehow I got the idea he was go- 

 ing to kick, and before I knew what I was about, I jumped 

 out and let him go. He did n't try to kick." 



I said, " Let me take him, I will soon make him so he 

 will drive with perfect safety." 



" No," he replied, " I am afraid of him, and shall never 

 ride behind him again." 



I give these details, mainly, to show how liable good 

 horsemen, of even much intelligence, are to fail on account 

 of not carrying out the instructions properly. 



CASE 3. WATSON HORSE. 



This was a kicking, runaway horse of the worst char- 

 acter, owned by a coal-dealer named Watson, in Memphis, 

 Tenn. He was a rather heavy -boned, light gray gelding, 

 nine years old, and weighed about 1030 pounds. There 

 were so many incidents of interest connected with this 

 horse that I give some of the details : He was in appear- 

 ance and color very much like the last one referred to, 

 simply a little heavier boned and shorter legged, but a 

 horse of wonderful pluck and endurance. He was ac- 

 knowledged to be the worst runaway kicker in the State 

 of Tennessee. Over a year before, a horse-drover from 

 Kentucky, hearing of him, claimed he could drive him or 

 any other living horse. Upon trial the horse ran away, 

 clearing himself from the wagon, throwing the man out so 

 violently as to cause an arm to be broken, and otherwise 

 seriously injuring him. Afterward, a mule-drover from the 

 eastern part of the State claimed to be able to drive him, 

 betting largely upon the results. As before, the horse ran 

 away, threw the man out, nearly killing him, and plunged 

 into the Mississippi River, from which he was with diffi- 



