National Republican., 1882-12-27
MARK TWAIN IN A FIX.
How TroIlopc UnavailingIy Sought Infor-
nation About Mustang Riding.


nation About Mustang Riding.
Joaquin Aiitr, IN the SomerUille IN ~ tnionttU
Pardon one depression from New York, as |
must say one word respecting friend just
departed-Anthony Trollope. A strong man
was he, with great, good human heart.
power has gone out from London grand,
steady and sterling nature, and honest in all
he did and said There is little of the flash
and sensation order of things to fascinate and
fill the journals of to-day. And so it is this
substantial pillar, which once bore more Of
London on its shoulders that most men know
or London is willing to concede, has passed
away and little is said. Strange he should
have died so sudden and so socn,
for physically he was the largest
and most powerful of large and powerful
race of men. He always visited me on horse
back in dense old London-the east side and
most humble quarter of the city-and, mounted
on a horse as large and powerful proportion
ately as himself, he was the marvel of the
denizens as he slowly rode through the
crowded and dingy streets. He was very
partial to his saddle, and had spent years on
horseback in Australia, where his sons, or the
most of them, are settled, and are now en-
gagged in raising sheep far in the interior, He
had rode all over South America and Mexico
and while, | think, he had little admiration
for my writings, he liked my preference for
the saddle, and we often rode together. He
did not like my big, snowy Mexican saddle,
however, and on my insisting on its superior
advantages, he arranged that | should come
to his country place, where he would furnish
the horses, and we could put the qualities of
our respective saddles to the test.
remember at dinner at the Garrick club,
which he had given to Mark Twain and my
ha rGla his fuynritp hnll,N- tbp cu1d1n
almost to the verge of anger. You see Mark
Twain was then lechlring, or about to lecture,
on Riding the Mustang" TrollOpe began
to talk riding with the soup, and endeavored
hard to draw the great humorst out and get
the advantage of his long experience with the
mustang in the far west. But Mark was
silent and very thoughtful. He essayed once
or twice to talk about Jerusalem, and even
made some faint allusons to the old masters.
He went Off eloquently OH the weather two or
three times. But he left the discussion of the
question entirely to Trollope and myself,
greatly to the disappointment Of the former.
After dinner, as we sauntered back to Mark S
hotel (the Edwards, st. George square), where
he was living in great state on the same floor
with Disraeli, Mark pulled me up suddenly
under lamp post and said in his dry, slow,
and inimitable way, 3" Look here, old boy,
now why didn't you help me out of that hoss
| business, eh ?"
Dlln Know you Nanleu any nelp, MHrk.
"Well now, didn't you see me trying to
talk about Jerusalem and the weather and
the state of future punishments? Why, look
here" And he pulled out of his vest pocket a
short dozen of little bits of pasteboard. "See
them? Tickets for that riding school in
Queen street, down by Hyde park. bought
dozen of EN- the other day. Have eleven
left. Take EN-; take 'em all. I'll never go
back there as long as | live. I've used one.
| got on one of the old mares there and she
scraped me off, and l won't go back there no
| more"
what" " said |, don't you know how to
rider"
Mover was on horse before, and never
will be again. But, you see, as l am lecturing
on how to ride a mustang, j thought ought
to know something about horses. But / know
| enough"
But" said / as VIC parted, "you don't mean
to tell me you know nothing about horses?"
Nothing, nothing at all, and don't want to.
| You see, Pm a steamboat man."