£^URTHER EXPERIENCES OF MR, STALE, 
upper strap, or has the buckle broken, the lower 
strap of the other is broken in the centre, and the 
two pieces hang from each side of the spur. Master 
now begins to feel as if he was fairly beaten ; all 
his wrath and haste are exhausted, be even feels quite 
resigned, when he looks up, and sees that his horse 
has cropped off all the buds off some attempts at 
flowers, in the front border, which he had long tended 
in hopes that they would come to something. The 
kitchen coolie now comes rushing in with a skein of 
twine, which the boy had promptly, and on his own 
responsibility, despatched him to the store for, and 
the servant, who, very probably from self-interested 
motives, had his own private reasons for taking all 
this trouble to get master equipped, and off, says, 
“Please master, don’t be sorry ! He takes the twine, 
kneels down in front, passing several plies of it across 
the catches of the spurs, until they are just . as 
firmly fastened on, perhaps firmer, than by the usual 
leather straps. “Now for it,” cries master, as he 
makes a rush towards his steed, grasps the reins and 
mane with his left hand, and the saddle with his 
right, while the horsekeeper holds the stirrup iron, 
into which his foot is heavily thrust. Raising himself 
up on his right foot, for a moment, the whole weight 
of bis body rests on that stirrup iron and leather. A 
moment more, and he will be in the saddle, but a 
moment is sometimes not such a very contemptible 
period of time as some suppose, for a moment more, 
instead of being in the saddle, he was lying flat out on 
the road, and the horse, starting wRh fright, had broken 
away from his keeper, but luckily had only run back into 
the stable. The buckle of the stirrup leather had given 
way. As this would take a long time to repair, this 
proceeding of the horse was just the wisest thing 
he could have done. The saddle is brought into the 
verandah, and master, the boy, kitchen coolie, and 
horsekeeper, all eagerly set about repairing it. Each one 
has his own idea of how it should be done, until there 
are actually some risks of a serious quarrel which is ended 
by master ordering more twine, and the penknife : 
the penknife is put into use as an auger or bore to 
make holes in the leather, through these holes the 
twine is inserted and firmly knotted until all is fast 
and secure. Another source of detention was the 
giving way of the under chop strap of the bridle, 
which.happened in this way. The master was standing 
all ready in the verandah, calling out for his horse, 
which was standing in front of the stable, undergoing 
a final rub down with one of the flirty kitchen towels, 
but all attempts to smooth down that rough lung 
hair only made it start and stick up all the more, 
I 
