414 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



Bugles, drawing himself up pompously, and waving his right hand 

 gracefully towards her ladyship's Arab palfrey, inwardly congratu- 

 lating himself that Miss Glitters was going to be bumped upon it 

 instead of him. 



" Give us a leg up, Seedey I " exclaimed Lucy Glitters to the 

 " gent " of the green coat, fearing that Miss Howard, who was a 

 little behind, might claim the horse. 



Captain Seedeybuck seized her pretty little uplifted foot and 

 vaulted her into the saddle as light as a cork. Taking the horse 

 gently by the mouth, she gave him the slightest possible touch 

 with the whip, and moved him about at will, instead of fret- 

 ting and fighting him as the clumsy, heavy-handed Bugles had 

 done. She looked beautiful on horseback, and for a time riveted 

 the attention of our sportsmen. At length they began to think of 

 themselves, and then there were such climbings on, and clutchings, 

 and catchings, and clingings, and gently-ings, and who-ho-ings, 

 and who-ah-ings, and questionings if " such a horse was quiet ? " 

 if another " could leap well ? " if a third " had a good mouth ? " 

 and whether a fourth " ever ran away ? " 



" Take my port-stirrup up two 'oles ! " exclaimed Captain 

 Bouncey from the top of high Hop-the-twig, sticking out a leg to 

 let the groom do it. 



The captain had affected the sea instead of the land-service, 

 while a betting-list keeper, and found the bluff sailor character 

 very taking. 



" Avast there ! " exclaimed he, as the groom ran the buckle up 

 to the desired hole. " Xow," said he, gathering up the reins in a 

 bunch, " how many knots an hour can this 'orse go ? " 



" Twenty," replied the man, thinking he meant miles. 



" Let her go then ! " exclaimed the captain, kicking the horse's 

 sides with his spurless heels. 



Mr. Watchorn now mounted Harkaway ; Sir Harry scrambled 

 on to Hit-me hard ; Miss Howard was hoisted on to Groggy toes, 

 and all the rest being " fit " with horses of some sort or other, and 

 the races in the front being over, the juveniles poured into the 

 yard, Lady Scattercash's pony-phaeton turned out, and our friends 

 were at length ready for a stare. 



