" Pleiiipo^' " Colonist',' and " King George " 207 



indeed was she and the priest when we returned victorious 

 in the evening. They were both very much interested in 

 their unusual visitors. 



Poor " Plenipo ! " He met with a sad end in the 

 following spring at Malaga. I was riding at another 

 meeting on the same day, so Tom Alcock rode him instead 

 in a hurdle race. " Plenipo " was a very difficult horse 

 to handle over the first hurdle in the preliminary canter ; 

 he would keep twisting himself round, and generally 

 arrived either sideways to the jump, or with his tail 

 towards it. Knowing his tricks, I used to take him 

 outside the track, and then suddenly bringing him round 

 on to it, started him off at the top of his speed, when he 

 would jump all right. In the actual race he would bore 

 with his head right between his toes, so that it was 

 necessary to saw his mouth and get his head up when 

 within a few strides of the hurdle, or he would blunder 

 into it. Once over, he gave no further trouble ; and I 

 won many hurdle races on him. Alcock did not seem to 

 have managed him well, for the horse fell with him in the 

 preliminary canter, and again in the race itself at the first 

 hurdle. This last time he was most seriously injured 

 internally, and died on the spot. It was a sad ending 

 to a right gallant horse. 



