til. 



14 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



clothed horses, snorting- Id all the glow of speed and health 

 as they rush past, and coping in their strength with the 

 tiny lads who sit them so close and hold them so hard. 

 They are stopping, however, as they reach the rest of the 

 flock again, and the shepherd might, perhaps, he kind 

 enough to let us have a more composed look at 

 them. 



Mr. Shepherd, who, in his well-cut jacket and rifleman 

 leggings, might he a sporting farmer or fox-hunter in 

 mufti;, will he "only too happy" to show us and tell us 

 all he can. There would really seem to he no secret about 

 it ; and were the laird himself down — the owner of these 

 thirty or forty thorough-breds — he would only join our 

 Mentor in calling them over to us. Let us begin with 

 that company of five — the little lot, by-the-by, being- 

 worth at the very least some twenty thousand pounds. 

 3Iark that lazy, careless, self-satisfied looking " old 

 horse'" as they fondly call him, which leads the string ! 

 See how the bo}^ has actually to kick him along in his 

 lolloping walk, or even to strike at him sharply through 

 the heavy clothing with his ash plant ! But the chesnut, 

 as he honours you with just one sagacious glance through 

 that plaided cowl, says, as plainly as can be, that he 

 knows this is all child's play, and that he can g-o away 

 when he is really wanted to go. He speaks but the 

 simple truth, for Barnoldby is the champion of his order, 

 the best horse in the world at this moment, who has done 

 more, and has done it better, and has worn longer than 

 anything else we should see, were our pilgrimage on the 

 Thistle Down to reach on to its utmost limit. The Derby, 

 the Royal Cup, the Great Two-year-old — even Mr. Shep- 

 herd can scarcely trust his memory to tell of all that low 

 lengthy animal has achieved. So we come on to the next 



