TRYING THE HORSE--THE FEATS OF TAWNO--MAN WITH THE RED
WAISTCOAT--DISPOSAL OF PROPERTY
I saw nothing more of Mr. Petulengro that evening; on the morrow,
however, he came and informed me that he had secured the horse for me,
and that I was to go and pay for it at noon. At the hour appointed,
therefore, I went with Mr. Petulengro and Tawno to the public, where, as
before, there was a crowd of company. The landlord received us in the
bar with marks of much satisfaction and esteem, made us sit down, and
treated us with some excellent mild draught ale. 'Who do you think has
been here this morning?' he said to me. 'Why that fellow in black, who
came to carry me off to a house of Popish devotion, where I was to pass
seven days and nights in meditation, as I think he called it, before I
publicly renounced the religion of my country. I read him a pretty
lecture, calling him several unhandsome names, and asking him what he
meant by attempting to seduce a churchwarden of the Church of England. I
tell you what, he ran some danger, for some of my customers, learning his
errand, laid hold on him, and were about to toss him in a blanket, and
then duck him in the horse-pond. I, however, interfered, and said that
what he came about was between me and him, and that it was no business of
theirs. To tell you the truth, I felt pity for the poor devil, more
especially when I considered that they merely sided against him because
they thought him the weakest, and that they would have wanted to serve me
in the same manner had they considered me a down pin; so I rescued him
from their hands, told him not to be afraid, for that nobody should touch
him, and offered to treat him to some cold gin and water with a lump of
sugar in it; and, on his refusing, told him that he had better make
himself scarce, which he did, and I hope I shall never see him again. So
I suppose you are come for the horse; mercy upon us!--who would have
thought you would have become the purchaser? The horse, however, seemed
to know it by its neighing. How did you ever come by the money?
However, that's no matter of mine. I suppose you are strongly backed by
certain friends you have.'
I informed the landlord that he was right in supposing that I came for
the horse, but that, before I paid for him, I should wish to prove his
capabilities. 'With all my heart,' said the landlord. 'You shall mount
him this moment.' Then, going into the stable, he saddled and bridled
the horse, and presently brought him out before the door. I mounted him,
Mr. Petulengro putting a heavy whip into my hand, and saying a few words
to me in his own mysterious language. 'The horse wants no whip,' said
the landlord. 'Hold your tongue, daddy,' said Mr. Petulengro. 'My pal
knows quite well what to do with the whip; he's not going to beat the
horse with it.' About four hundred yards from the house there was a
hill, to the foot of which the road ran almost on a perfect level;
towards the foot of this hill I trotted the horse, who set off at a long,
swift pace, seemingly at the rate of about sixteen miles an hour. On
reaching the foot of the hill, I wheeled the animal round, and trotted
him towards the house--the horse sped faster than before. Ere he had
advanced a hundred yards, I took off my hat, in obedience to the advice
which Mr. Petulengro had given me, in his own language, and holding it
over the horse's head, commenced drumming on the crown with the knob of
the whip; the horse gave a slight start, but instantly recovering
himself, continued his trot till he arrived at the door of the
public-house, amidst the acclamations of the company, who had all rushed
out of the house to be spectators of what was going on. 'I see now what
you wanted the whip for,' said the landlord, 'and sure enough that
drumming on your hat was no bad way of learning whether the horse was
quiet or not. Well, did you ever see a more quiet horse, or a better
trotter?' 'My cob shall trot against him,' said a fellow dressed in
velveteen, mounted on a low powerful-looking animal--'my cob shall trot
against him to the hill and back again--come on!' We both started; the
cob kept up gallantly against the horse for about half the way to the
hill, when he began to lose ground; at the foot of the hill he was about
fifteen yards behind. Whereupon I turned slowly and waited for him. We
then set off towards the house, but now the cob had no chance, being at
least twenty yards behind when I reached the door. This running of
horses, the wild uncouth forms around me, and the ale and beer which were
being guzzled from pots and flagons, put me wonderfully in mind of the
ancient horse-races of the heathen north. I almost imagined myself
Gunnar of Hlitharend at the race of--.
'Are you satisfied?' said the landlord. 'Didn't you tell me that he
could leap?' I demanded. 'I am told he can,' said the landlord; 'but I
can't consent that he should be tried in that way, as he might be
damaged.' 'That's right!' said Mr. Petulengro, 'don't trust my pal to
leap that horse; he'll merely fling him down and break his neck and his
own. There's a better man than he close by; let him get on his back and
leap him.' 'You mean yourself, I suppose,' said the landlord. 'Well, I
call that talking modestly, and nothing becomes a young man more than
modesty.' 'It ain't I, daddy,' said Mr. Petulengro. 'Here's the man,'
said he, pointing to Tawno. 'Here's the horse-leaper of the world!'
'You mean the horse-back-breaker,' said the landlord. 'That big fellow
would break down my cousin's horse.' 'Why he weighs only sixteen stone,'
said Mr. Petulengro; 'and his sixteen stone, with his way of handling a
horse, does not press so much as any other one's thirteen. Only let him
get on the horse's back and you'll see what he can do!' 'No,' said the
landlord, 'it won't do.' Whereupon Mr. Petulengro became very much
excited, and, pulling out a handful of money, said: 'I'll tell you what,
I'll forfeit these guineas if my black pal there does the horse any kind
of damage; duck me in the horse-pond if I don't.' 'Well,' said the
landlord, 'for the sport of the thing I consent, so let your white pal
get down, and your black pal mount as soon as he pleases.' I felt rather
mortified at Mr. Petulengro's interference, and showed no disposition to
quit my seat; whereupon he came up to me and said, 'Now, brother, do get
out of the saddle; you are no bad hand at trotting, I am willing to
acknowledge that; but at leaping a horse there is no one like Tawno. Let
every dog be praised for his own gift. You have been showing off in your
line for the last half-hour, now do give Tawno a chance of exhibiting a
little; poor fellow, he hasn't often a chance of exhibiting, as his wife
keeps him so much in sight.' Not wishing to appear desirous of
engrossing the public attention, and feeling rather desirous to see how
Tawno, of whose exploits in leaping horses I had frequently heard, would
acquit himself in the affair, I at length dismounted, and Tawno at a
bound leaped into the saddle, where he really looked like Gunnar of
Hlitharend, save and except that the complexion of Gunnar was florid,
whereas that of Tawno was of nearly Mulatto darkness, and that all
Tawno's features were cast in the Grecian model, whereas Gunnar had a
snub nose. 'There's a leaping-bar behind the house,' said the landlord.
'Leaping-bar!' said Mr. Petulengro, scornfully. 'Do you think my black
pal ever rides at a leaping-bar? No more than at a windle-straw. Leap
over that meadow wall, Tawno.' Just pass the house, in the direction in
which I had been trotting, was a wall about four feet high, beyond which
was a small meadow. Tawno rode the horse gently up to the wall,
permitted him to look over, then backed him for about ten yards, and
pressing his calves against the horse's sides, he loosed the rein, and
the horse launching forward, took the leap in gallant style. 'Well done,
man and horse!' said Mr. Petulengro; 'now come back, Tawno.' The leap
from the side of the meadow was, however, somewhat higher; and the horse,
when pushed at it, at first turned away; whereupon Tawno backed him to a
greater distance, pushed the horse to a full gallop, giving a wild cry;
whereupon the horse again took the wall, slightly grazing one of his legs
against it. 'A near thing,' said the landlord, 'but a good leap. Now,
no more leaping, so long as I have control over the animal.' The horse
was then led back to the stable; and the landlord, myself, and companions
going into the bar, I paid down the money for the horse.
Scarcely was the bargain concluded, when two or three of the company
began to envy me the possession of the horse, and forcing their way into
the bar, with much noise and clamour, said that the horse had been sold
too cheap. One fellow in particular, with a red waistcoat, the son of a
wealthy farmer, said that if he had but known that the horse had been so
good a one, he would have bought it at the first price asked for it,
which he was now willing to pay, that is, to-morrow,
supposing--'Supposing your father will let you have the money,' said the
landlord, 'which, after all, might not be the case; but, however that may
be, it is too late now. I think myself the horse has been sold for too
little money, but if so all the better for the young man, who came
forward when no other body did with his money in his hand. There, take
yourselves out of my bar,' said he to the fellows; 'and a pretty
scoundrel you,' said he to the man of the red waistcoat, 'to say the
horse has been sold too cheap, why, it was only yesterday you said he was
good for nothing, and were passing all kinds of jokes at him. Take
yourself out of my bar, I say, you and all of you,' and he turned the
fellows out. I then asked the landlord whether he would permit the horse
to remain in the stable for a short time, provided I paid for his
entertainment, and on his willingly consenting, I treated my friends with
ale, and then returned with them to the encampment.
That evening I informed Mr. Petulengro and his party that on the morrow I
intended to mount my horse, and leave that part of the country in quest
of adventures; inquiring of Jasper where, in the event of my selling the
horse advantageously, I might meet with him, and repay the money I had
borrowed of him; whereupon Mr. Petulengro informed me that in about ten
weeks I might find him at a certain place at the Chong gav. I then
stated that as I could not well carry with me the property which I
possessed in the dingle, which after all was of no considerable value, I
resolved to bestow the said property, namely, the pony, tent,
tinker-tools, etc., on Ursula and her husband, partly because they were
poor, and partly on account of the great kindness which I bore to Ursula,
from whom I had, on various occasions, experienced all manner of
civility, particularly in regard to crabbed words. On hearing this
intelligence, Ursula returned many thanks to her gentle brother as she
called me, and Sylvester was so overjoyed that, casting aside his usual
phlegm, he said I was the best friend he had ever had in the world, and
in testimony of his gratitude swore that he would permit me to give his
wife a choomer in the presence of the whole company, which offer,
however, met with a very mortifying reception; the company frowning
disapprobation, Ursula protesting against anything of the kind, and I
myself showing no forwardness to avail myself of it, having inherited
from nature a considerable fund of modesty, to which was added no slight
store acquired in the course of my Irish education. I passed that night
alone in the dingle in a very melancholy manner, with little or no sleep,
thinking of Isopel Berners; and in the morning when I quitted it I shed
several tears, as I reflected that I should probably never again see the
spot where I had passed so many hours in her company.