244 SOME CURIOUS HORSES 



horse — wonderfully bred and looking all over like 

 galloping, but that he never would try. He had 

 no pride, he said, and would lob along in the ruck 

 as happily as possible. He had been in lots of 

 stakes, but no one could do anything with him ; 

 he would make a waiting race with a mule they 

 said. 



It was a most curious case. The horse seemed 

 to have every requisite of make, shape, and action, 

 and yet could not be induced to try to race. It 

 appeared to make no difference whether the rest of 

 the things were in front of him or if they came up 

 and passed him ; he kept on about the same pace, 

 and would not try to race. If punishment was 

 attempted, the horse showed such evident symptoms 

 of temper that it was not safe to continue it. 



At last he was used by the trainer as a hack, 

 and, in his absence, taken out by the head lad, 

 when out to superintend the gallops. 



I had almost forgotten his existence, when one 

 day I received a letter from my trainer asking me 

 to come down to Newmarket the next day by a 

 mid-day train, when I should find a hack waiting 

 for me at the station, and that he would be at the 

 New Stand, on the race-course side, to meet me, 

 as he wished me to see a trial. 



I of course went down and met my trainer at 



