The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-04 00:00:00

A Deceiving Horse.

"And what are you doing with the Oliver horse, sir ?'
"Well, anything and everything; hack him and hunt
him, and so on."
" And can he jump at all ?"

" Yes, that he can ! He is a good flying-fencer ; and
nothing I ever put him at yet has either turned him or
troubled him."

" Come, sir, now I'll tell you what I'll do. He had
hardly pace enough over the flat, though he would last
for over. You send him up to my place, sir, for a month
or two, and we'll see if he can't pull off a steeplechase
handicap, or a hurdle-race. If he does, we'll divide it ;
and if he don't, I'll stand you harmless for the wear and
tear of his teeth."

So be it. When will you have him ?"
" The sooner the better. I suppose there's not a deal
to get off him, for he never carried much flesh !"
" N-o-o—he's just in good hard-working condition."
The speaker who made this handsome proposal was our
old friend Dominie, the trainer; while the other " party "
to the dialogue was a country gentleman, who dearly loved
a bit of racing, if there wasn't too much to pay for it. The
Oliver horse had been rather a sore subject in this way;
as he had run second, third, and fourth for a year and a-
half all over the country, until his very travelling bill
was something considerable, but without oven the set-off
of a solitary " fifty " to be placed against it. However,
another such a chance at no cost was not to be resisted ;
and the worthy owner, Mr. Wilson, left the Stand in
which this conversation took place, determined to start
the bay off again for Thisley Downs the very next morn-
ing, as he only was " eating his head off " at home.

The Oliver horse certainly did not look in a likely way
to accomplish this extraordinary feat; and his "hard-
working condition " had a good deal of literal truth about
it, for he was little better than a bag of bones, as he had
been by no means pampered on his return from that un-
profitable tour in the provinces. Still he would, of course,
be all the readier to go on with ; and the odd man of the
establishment was soon hunted up.
" Here; Jack, I want you to take the bay horse up to
Mr. Dominie's again. You had better start the first
thing to-morrow morning. How long will it take you ?"
" Be I to walk with 'un ?"

" 0, yes ; go right across the country, you know."
" Well, a couple of days—leastways we shall have to be
out one night on it."

" The deuce you will ! Then I'll tell you what you
must do. Get on with him to-morrow aS far as Penty-
bwywn, and ask my friend, Mr. Carre, to give the horse a
birth for the night, while you can put up in the town.
You know Mr. Carre ; he keeps the hounds there, and we
have got a puppy of his here now. One good turn de-
serves another."

" Yes, sir ; and be I to take any clothes for the horse,
or anything of that sort 2"

" No, no ; Mr. Dominie will find all that. Only put on
an old stable-bridle to lead him with."

" Very well, sir," said Jack, who would have preferred
a rug to ride him with ; but started next day as directed,
and arrived in duo course at Pentybwywn. Mr. Carre's
place was a good two miles out ; and at the close of a dull
dark November day Jack led old Oliver up to the stables.
" Mr. Carre at home ?"

" Well, ho has not got home again yet. What may you
want with him ?"
" I as to leave this here horse from Mr. Wilson's—
Mr. Wilson of the Fogge House."
" Oh, ah ! I know ; him as has got one of our Dori-
monts. Well, you can leave him with me, and I shall
take precious good care of him you may be certain. Would
you like a horn of ale before you start again ?"

Naturally Jack would like a horn of ale, or two, or
three, if it came to that, before he wont in search of his
own quarters ; soon after which the squire came in from
shooting.

" Anything fresh, Evans, since morning ?" .
" Nothing particklar, sir ; Mr. Wilson, as has got Har
mony at walk, has sent a horse in." _ _ .

" That's all right—vary much obliged to hini, I'm sure ;
just, too, when you'll know where to put him."
And the Squire went in to dinner ; and Evans, who was
huntsman, and foreman, and all that sort of thing, pro-
ceeded to make his arrangements for the morrow before it
got quite dark *

The Squire was an early. man, and in the kennels b:
times the next morning, when Jack again turned up.

"Morning, sir."
" Good morning to you ; and what may it be you

want ?"
" For Jack's "personal " was not very prepossessing ;
and Mr. Carre had too many hangers-on from the town to
give much encouragment to any of the sort.
" If you please, sir, I come from Mr. Wilson with that
horse last night, and"—