The Foreign Market, 145 



the royal sunshine, to persuade the Guards that the 

 porter-bottle which burst in his pocket, as he was 

 smuggling it into the palace for one of the princes, 

 was not the prohibited liquor of hated Britain, but 

 " only frisky beevT 



In 1853 the palace at Peterhoff was The Emperors 

 the same, but the actors were changed, inspection of 

 Twenty new English horses were being ^^^ Sheriff. 

 marched round and round, in their scarlet clothing, by 

 the Russian grooms in uniform, in its square ; and 

 Mr. Ashton, the English agent, was waiting all 

 anxious to hear what his Majesty would think of The 

 Sheriff by The Provost, for whom 3000 guineas had 

 been refused after he won the July. The Emperor, 

 with Prince Menschikoff at his side, stepped out on the 

 terrace to the instant. Thrice the ring moved round 

 him. " Very good ! that will do ; biU I think I told 

 you, tJiree years ago, 1 zvoiild have no white heels" he 

 said, as he challenged a beautiful bay mare. " She 

 was so good, your Majesty, I darent leave her',' replied 

 Mr. Ashton ; and " That may be — ifs against the con- 

 tract P' told that the stern Imperial ukase against 

 white knew no change. Then The Sheriff was beck- 

 oned out of the ring. " WJiat size, Ashton f " Two 

 artkeens and foitr veshiks, your Majesty'' (fifteen-three). 

 A fierce doubting look, almost as daunting as a glance 

 at the sun on a summer's day, was the only reply 

 vouchsafed ; and in two mighty strides " The Em- 

 peror of all the Russias" was at his withers. ''Beg 

 pardon, AsJiton — lie's on short legs I" And so the bay 

 and the black passed into the royal stables ; and the 

 latter never flinched beneath his royal nineteen stone 

 load at a review. He was the last horse that Nicholas 

 gave orders on, to his army ; and he was led behind 

 him on his funeral-day. 



The white-heel objection has always r^^^j^^ gt^^s. 

 been a sovereign one with the Russians, 

 and nothing but a white star falls within their creed of 



