32 Silk and Scarlet. 



ride them across country, when he has tamed them. 

 I warrant I did well nigh as much as ever he did, fifty 

 years ago. They say it's just taking up the front foot ; 

 you knows, so you says nothing ; that dodge is as old 

 as that oak-tree there. The first I ever see attempt 

 these things was a soldier. He went about with a 

 brass belt and a horse on it ; they called him Ralph 

 Holding ; blessed if I don't think he's living near 

 Loughboro' now."^ Mr. Coke, he asked me to go to a 

 gentleman who had some horses on the forest, at 

 Ulverscroffe Abbey, near Leicester. There were three 

 horses there, and he had served tnem all the same, 

 and he got them quite quiet. Then I asks Mr. Hill, 

 of Melton, to send for him ; he had got a grey that no 

 one dare handle. My word, he gets him into a loose 

 box, and tackles him. The horse come bolt at him as 

 he opens the half-door. Then he puts his hand into 

 his waistcoat, and takes out a little box with some 

 brown powder in it ; he wraps some rag round his hand, 

 puts the powder on it, and goes right up to the horse, 

 and rubs his hand over the nose and ears, and carries 

 it right away along the back to his near hind leg ; he 

 lifts it up, and lays the horse's foot on his knee, and 

 begins hammering and singing " Law I Law ! jaw ! 

 Jaw r a hundred times, and the horse took no more 

 iiotice than nothing. I runs in where they were at 

 dinner, and I says, " Do co7ne, he's a hollering and 

 hammering azvay." Mrs. Hill, she was so took with 

 laughing when she see him, I thought she'd have 

 fainted clean off. Then he put a halter on to him, 

 and gets him into a close. He says, '' Lay dozvn" and 

 down he lays, and kept there, till he told him to get 

 up. Then he stands agin his head, with his finger — 

 " One, two, hold your head up /^ he did ; " Lie down /" 

 over and over again ; no straps, no nothing, but this 

 powder. He tried to ride him afterwards, but he 



" The Emperor" was perfectly correct in his surmise. 



