SOME CURIOUS HORSES 241 



see a dog, with his fore-legs straight out and his 

 hind ones at right angles to his body. In a 

 minute or so he rolled over on his side. I tried 

 to get him up, but he did not move. A veterinary 

 surgeon who was out, seeing that something was 

 wrong, came up, and, on examining him, declared 

 that his back was broken. And so it proved to be : 

 the violent jerk of his hind-legs had done it. Of 

 course I had to have him shot at once. I was 

 very sorry to lose him, as he was such a perfect 

 hunter. 



Another of my horses I bought from the farmer 

 who bred him ; he was a black, nearly thorough- 

 bred, and a very fine-looking animal. I had often 

 seen his owner riding him to market and other 

 places, nearly always at a hand-gallop, and the 

 horse never appeared heated or even blown. I had 

 also seen him in the hunting field. After pur- 

 chasing him, I tried him over some fences that had 

 been made for the purpose in one of my fields, and 

 he jumped fairly for a young one, so I took him 

 out with the hounds when they met in an easy 

 country. The first thing I put him at was a small 

 gate ; but this he would not have, so I set him at 

 a low, dry stone wall, which he cleared well. So 

 he did also the next two or three fences ; but on 

 coming to another he did not make the slightest 

 II Q 



