Spain 173 



meeting, my former opponent came up just before we started 

 for the "Spanish Maiden," and said, "' Jerezano' is entered on 

 the card as ' English and Spanish." ' " It is quite correct," I 

 replied. " And I ran ' El Cid ' against you at even weights 

 in the match ! " he rejoined. As his horse was Spanish 

 and Arab, he ought, according to the Spanish Maiden 

 weights — which were the usually accepted standard — to 

 have received 14 lb. from " Jerezano." He, however, had 

 suggested the lightest weight he could ride, and, having 

 made no mention of an allowance for difference of breed, 

 his proposal was duly accepted. It shows clearly, how- 

 ever, how necessary it is never to act without due thought. 

 It was rather curious that it should be my fate to stand 

 in the path of " El Cid." He changed hands afterwards, 

 and was renamed " Saracen." One day, when out hunting 

 the following spring, his new owner said to me, " Do you 

 know the age of ' Saracen ? ' " I believe he is only five 

 years old. Now it so happened that previous to buying 

 " Jerezano," two years before, I had myself inspected 

 " Saracen " amongst some other young horses of his owners 

 — with a view to purchasing him. I passed him over, but 

 had a pretty distinct recollection that he was then four 

 years old. I replied, therefore, that I believed him to be 

 six years. " I don't think he is," replied his owner, " but 

 I wish you would look at his mouth, and tell me what you 

 think." Information is never thrown away, so I jumped 

 off my horse in an instant, and inspected the teeth of 

 " Saracen." " He is six years," was my verdict. " I don't 

 think he is," said my friend, " at anyrate I shall chance it." 

 However, the horse changed hands again, and later in the 

 spring was entered in the Spanish Maiden as " five years." 

 " Jerezano " was also entered, and, in a desperate race 



