"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In EnglandSurtees, Robert Smith
General
"Ask Mamma"; or, The Richest Commoner In England
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction
Meanwhile the Major had filled up his stall with a handsome
rich-coloured brown mare, with a decidedly doubtful fore-leg; and
the Major, all candour and affability, readily agreed to
exchange, on condition of getting five-and-twenty pounds to boot.
The mare presently went down to exercise, confirming the Major’s
opinion of the instability of her leg, and increasing his
confidence in his own judgment. Napoleon the Great, late Johnny
Raw, now reigns in her stead, and very well he looks in the
straw. Indeed, that is his proper place; and as many people only
keep their horses to look at, there is no reason why Napoleon the
Great should remain in the Major’s stables. He certainly won’t if
the Major can help it.
Number five is a vulgar looking little dun-duck-et-y mud-coloured
horse, with long white stockings, and a large white face, called
Bull-dog, that Solomon generally rides. Nobody knows how old he
is, or how many masters he has had, or where he came from, or who
his father was, or whether he had a grandfather, or anything
whatever about him. The Major got him for a mere nothing—nine
pounds—at Joe Seton’s, the runaway Vet’s sale, about five years
ago, and being so desperately ugly and common looking, no one has
ever attempted to deprive the Major of him either in the way of
barter or sale. Still Bully is a capital slave, always ready
either to hunt, or hack, or go in harness, and will pass anything
except a public-house, being familiarly and favourably known at
the doors of every one in the county. Like most horses, he has
his little peculiarity; and his consists of a sort of rheumatic
affection of the hind leg, which causes him to catch it up, and
sends him limping along on three legs, like a lame dog, but still
he never comes down, and the attack soon goes off. Solomon and he
look very like their work together.
The next horse to Bull-dog, and the last in the stable, is
Golden-drop, a soft, mealy chestnut—of all colours the most
objectionable. He is a hot, pulling, hauling, rushing,
rough-actioned animal, that gives a rider two days’ exercise in
one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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