336 Tally ho. 



I occupied myself in a like manner. Then, after a 

 brief halt, the way being long, night drawing on 

 apace, and having many miles to journey over strange 

 and lonely roads, I essayed to saddle my nag, but the 

 ill-conditioned brute, resisting my every attempt, ran 

 back, kicking viciously at me in whatever direction I 

 approached him. To lay hold of my whip and hide 

 him was the work but of a moment, when to my 

 horror he gave a spring at the partition (some six feet 

 in height) between the stall and a narrow passage, 

 across which he remained, his fore legs hanging down 

 in the passage, his head turned on one side — the space 

 in front being too narrow to allow of his taking a 

 straight position — and his hind legs dangling down 

 helplessly in the stall, whilst he ^^made night hideous'' 

 with his stertorous groans. All my efforts to release 

 him were futile; the only inmate of that lone farm 

 house was a maiden of tender years, who could give 

 me but little advice and less assistance, and, according 

 to Cornish phraseology, *^ I was in a brave fix." 



At length I espy three weary labourers returning 

 from their daily toil, and hope springs eternal in my 

 sorrowing breast. With liberal offers of unlimited 

 cyder I urge the stalwart Cornishmen to lose no time 

 in knocking down the partition, and with hearty good 

 will and a sledge hammer they set to work, whilst at 

 every blow that sorry — in every sense of the word — 

 steed groaned louder still. But all in vain, that stall 

 was formed neither to bend nor break, and it yielded 

 never an inch, nor half an inch. Then I urged them 

 to saw through the solid planks, but soon found that 

 at the rate they progressed, it would take many hours 

 to cut through the tough oak. Then " Pol, Tre, and 



