194 ^^^'^ Course, the Camp, the Chase 



very awkward appearance, and our American cousins are 

 not usually in the habit of professing much love for their 

 English relatives. Often has it been said to me in Spain, 

 among the lower orders, " Ah ! the English, we like them. 

 What they say they always do ! " (This is their view.) 

 "Does not everything that we have good come from England ? 

 Our horses, jockeys, guns, gunpowder, dogs, even salt ; and 

 our own are so worthless." It was quite true, and they 

 had an immense respect for us ; but as for the Americans, 

 they really hated them. It was quite possible for an 

 Englishman to go anywhere, into the roughest crowd in 

 any place, and so long as he was known to be an English- 

 man he was perfectly safe, but an American would have 

 been insulted, or even " knifed " immediately. Many a 

 time have I pushed my way into a crowd to see some- 

 thing, and on murmuring " Inglese," or " Inglese ginete " 

 (English jockey), way has been most courteously made for 

 me. Only once was I nearly getting into trouble, through 

 being mistaken for an American, as there were several just 

 arrived. Brows began to lower, and threatening gestures 

 made, as " Americano " was quickly bandied from lip to 

 lip. " Inglese," " Inglese," I repeated, but they shook 

 their heads, and if some Spanish racing lads had not 

 happened to be there, and quickly explained that it really 

 was an " Inglese ginete," there would have been serious 

 trouble. As soon, however, as they were assured of their 

 mistake, they took no further notice of me, and peace was 

 restored. 



" Plenipo " was bred at Tarbes, I believe, and made 

 his appearance at Madrid, about the time of the French 

 and German War, when so. many good horses w^ere hurried 

 away from France. He was a deep-bodied, short-legged 



