278 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



It was while he was at Lord Gerard*s stud 

 that I saw Ormonde for the first time after his 

 departure from Kingsclere. At the Duke's 

 request I went to inspect him. To my great 

 disgust and annoyance I found him in an un- 

 ventilated box. The door and window were 

 both shut; all fresh air was excluded. I implored 

 his attendant to let in some air, assuring him 

 that if he did not he would soon kill the horse. 

 I took it upon myself to order the top door to 

 be opened and kept open. I have always been 

 a firm believer in the virtues of fresh air. 



Ormonde returned to Eaton in the summer. 

 Chapman went to Newmarket to take him home, 

 and found him in a very weak state. The Duke 

 had seen the horse before he left Newmarket, 

 and, thinking he looked incapable of walking 

 the two miles to the station, suggested that he 

 should be conveyed in a van. However, Ormonde 

 managed to walk. He had not been at Eaton 

 very long before he began to pick up, and was 

 soon improving rapidly. 



Then came the sale of Ormonde. He was 

 bought by Captain England on behalf of Seiior 

 Boucau, an Argentine breeder. It was arranged 

 that the horse was to leave England the following 

 September, unless in the meantime either party 

 to the deal regretted the sale or the purchase, 

 as the case might be. The Duke, it is under- 

 stood, received ;^ 12,000 for Ormonde. 



