METHOD OF TBEATMENT. 285 



ble, and one of the worst possible halter-pullers in the coun- 

 try. She would undoubtedly have defeated me had I 

 not, in this way, become aware of her extremely bad char- 

 acter, and prepared for the emergency. It was a precon- 

 certed plan to spring the mare upon me, and defeat me, 

 and thus make an excuse to get their money back. Though 

 I had never seen so bad a halter-puller before, I determined 

 to put a bold front on the matter, and pass for all I was 

 worth. 



In forming a class, I told the people they were to dis- 

 tinctly understand if I could not control the mare in two 



FIG. 204. The halter-puller trying to pull loose. 



minutes so that she could not be made to pull when hitched 

 by her own halter, I would give every man his money 

 back ; with this understanding I made a large class. 



It now became important for them to defeat me, and 

 for me, if possible, to succeed. Fearing my whip would 

 break, I secured an extra one, of the best quality I could 

 find, stripped off my coat and vest, attended carefully to 

 every detail of hitching, and doubled the usual strength of 

 the cord, to guard against the possibility of breaking. The 

 moment the mare was tied, she went back with all the fury 

 of a maniac. But she had no more than done so when I 

 sent the Ush of the whip across the tip of her nose, re- 



