mr. sponge's sporting tour. 27 



All then was hurry, scurry, and scamper to get this second prodigy 

 out. Presently he appeared. Multuni in Parvo certainly was all 

 that Buckram described him. A long, low, clean-headed, clean-necked, 

 big-hocked, chesnut, with a long tail, and great, large, flat, white legs, 

 without mark or blemish upon them. Unlike Hercules, there was 

 nothing indicative of vice or mischief about him. Indeed, he was 

 rather a sedate, meditative looking animal ; and, instead of the watch- 

 ful, arms'-length sort of way Leather and Co. treated Hercules, they 

 jerked and punched Parvo about as if he were a cow. 



Still Parvo had his foibles. He was a resolute, head-strong ani- 

 mal, that would go his own way in spite of all the pulling and hauling 

 in the world. If he took it into his obstinate head to turn into a par- 

 ticular field, into it he would be ; or against the gate-post he would 

 bump the rider's leg in a way that would make him remember the 

 difference of opinion between them. His was not a fiery, hot-headed 

 spirit, with object or reason for its guide, but just a regular downright 

 pig-headed sort of stupidity, that nobody could account for. He had a 

 mouth like a bull, and would walk clean through a gate sometimes 

 rather than be at the trouble of rising to leap it ; at other times he 

 would hop over it like a bird. He could not beat Mr. Buckram's men, 

 because they were always on the look out for objects of contention with 

 sharp spur rowels, ready to let into his sides the moment he began to 

 stop ; but a weak or a timid man on his back had no more chance than 

 he would on an elephant. If the horse chose to carry him into the 

 midst of the hounds at the meet, he would have him in — nay, he 

 would think nothing of upsetting the master himself in the middle 

 of the pack. Then the provoking part was, that the obstinate animal, 

 after having done all the mischief, would just set to to eat as if nothing 

 had happened. After rolling a sportsman in the mud, he would re- 

 pair to the nearest hay-stack or grassy bank and be caught. He was 

 now ten years old, or a leetle more perhaps, and very wicked years 

 some of them had been. His adventures, his sellings and his return- 

 ings, his lettings and unlettings, his bumpings and spillings, his slash- 

 ings and crashings, on the road, in the field, in single and in double 

 harness, would furnish a volume of themselves ; and in default of a 

 more able historian, we purpose blending his future fortune with that 

 of " Ercles," in the service of our hero Mr. Sponge, and his accom- 

 plished groom, and undertaking the important narration of them our- 

 selves. 



