110 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



with that word of approval he gave the sheep and cows 

 in particular. There was, for instance, a clean-headed, 

 rag'ged- quartered, old chesnut mare, of exceedingly 

 aristocratic appearance, who walked about the paddocks 

 with the air of everything* else being under her, that com- 

 pletely bothered my worthy pastor and master as to what 

 she was there at all for. I think it even took me some 

 little trouble to explain to him how it was I had picked 

 her up as likely to breed us a good sort of horse for ^^ the 

 phaeton." 



The Gods forgive me for deceiving him ! but if I had 

 thought that mare could breed a buggy-horse, I would 

 have cut her throat. She was by Emilius, foaled at 

 Eiddlesworth, and had run up for the Oaks of her year. 

 And she didn't suit the collar, either j for the more the 

 young one — by Kingston, he was — the more he grew, 

 the less and less did they consider him fit for *' the chaise.'' 

 My wife was sure he was " too delicate ;" and so I had to 

 get rid of him at two years old, a bargain, to a neigh- 

 bouring trainer, who took him — with a quiet understanding* 

 between ourselves that I was to pay so much per week for 

 his "board and education." 



And he turned out as full of promise as I could have 

 hoped — and I had hoped a good deal for him, too, as I 

 used to watch him just learning to strike out at home, 

 when they thought I was estimating how many " stun," 

 perhaps, one of the *^ Duke of Northumberland's" 

 grand-daughters would reach on the block. The reports 

 were all favourable. He was a good doer ; then a good 

 goer ; and when I sneaked up to see him take his first 

 vspin, it was quite as much as ^' Snowy " —for so they 

 called the white-headed lad who looked after him — could 

 do from keeping him getting away with him. After 



