additional force to the horse's movements, first of
all shouting to those who worked below what
those movements were to be. Now his directions
were given in a language which the roughriders
and grooms who mounted the M. H. could
not comprehend, but which the German confederate
on the horse's back could. He, therefore,
knew what was coming. The others did not,
which made all the difference.

Many persons present, but chiefly those who
had newly arrived and had not witnessed the
discomfiture of others, mounted into the saddle
with considerable confidence of demeanour. The
first movements, the alternate rising of the head
and then of the quarters, partook somewhat of
the nature of the frisks of that domestic animal
the rocking-horse, and were easily endured, but
as soon as more violence was given to the
exercises they invariably made acquaintance with the
mattresses. And it was a curious thing to
observe how the company assembled in the loft
enjoyed every fresh casualty, and even thirsted
for more; while, perhaps, even more remarkable
was the conduct of the victims themselves, who,
so far from wishing to deter others from following
their example, would urge and stimulate the
other members of the company—and more especially
the Horse Guard—to lose no time in saving
the credit of the British nation, and "witch the
world with noble horsemanship."

But the best chance was invariably with new
comers, who did not know the nature of the
beast, and who, in this respect, belonged to that
class which rushes in where angels fear to tread.

Now it was impossible not to observe that the
little horsey men who had been so ignominiously
defeated were all inclined to get together afterwards
in corners, eyeing their conqueror, as he
stood triumphant in the middle of the apartment,
with malignant glances, conspiring and
plotting against him, and occasionally wishing
that some especial champion in whom they had
confidence would just happen to look in and
"throw his leg over—that was all." These
gentry would also from time to time disparage
the invention of Colonel von Hamel, and
insinuate that it "weren't no good— really." One
of the unhorsed ones even gave a name to his
hero, and remarked that "he wished Mark
Gripper would show his 'ed up that their staircase."
This he said with a defiant glance at
the two Germans, and a look of appeal to the
rest of the company, who, though they had
never heard of Mark in their lives, would have
been glad enough to see him at the moment, or,
indeed, anybody else who would oblige them by
getting on to the Mechanical Horse and rolling
off again with ignominy. It was quite curious
to observe how the public lingered and lingered
on at this exhibition, sustained by a secret hope
that some fresh victim would soon arrive. As
to the unenterprising Life Guardsman, he really
seemed unable to tear himself away at all.

The noise of footsteps ascending the wooden
stair which led to the abode of the Mechanical
Horse was at all times exciting to the persons
assembled in Mr. Mason's loft, but, just at the
moment with which we at present have to do,
this promising sound held the whole assembly
entranced with expectation and hope. What,
then, was the delight of the company when there
gradually emerged through the floor first one
gentleman in a stable-hat, a stable-jacket, a
stable-waistcoat, and drab stable-legs, and then
another individual similarly accoutred. The
external appearance of both these persons was
quite enough to convince the least initiated
of the company that they were devoted to the
"equestrian career,'' while to those who were
themselves behind the equestrian scenes the
new arrivals were at once recognised as two
well-known members of the horse-breaking
fraternity; indeed, one of them, the tallest and
thinnest, was no other than the renowned Mark
Gripper himself, whose advent had just before
been so ardently desired by the Mechanical
Horse's latest victim.

Those gentlemen present who had the good
fortune to be personally acquainted with the
new arrivals, hastened to accost and welcome
them, whilst those who were less happy
contented themselves with a running criticism on
the respective merits of these two illustrious
personages. The general public hung upon the
words of the initiated, of course, and lost their
dignity in so doing.

"Ah, Mark 'll stick on to him, mind you,"
says a man with a blue bird's-eye pattern scarf,
and a pin wrought into the semblance of a hunting
whip, with the thong twisted round the crop.
"That's what Mark 'll do," he added, looking
round him with the air of a man who doubts his
own prophecy.

"No he won't," replies another of the
initiated; a very little man, who had just before
grovelled on the mattresses, and whose nose
had been very red ever since.

"And why won't he?" retorts the other.
"I've seen that man afore now on the back of
a hanimal as went through such a variety of
games as this here humbug of a thing has never
even thought of in his sleep—a animal as 'ud
catch hold of you with his teeth when you was
a going to mount him, or ram your leg up again
the stable wall the first moment as ever you
got upon his back. Talk about mechanical
horses after that!"

"Well, that don't prove nothing," puts in
the little man with the reddened nose— "nothin'
at all."

"Don't it, and why not, pray?"

"Why, because," continued red-nose, "the
hanimal you speak of was a hanimal, and made
of flesh and blood, and gave you some notice by
the mere haspect of him, and by the roll of his
eye, and the plant of his ear, what he was going
in for. But this here piece of goods—which I
won't call it a horse at all—with a eye like a
angel and a ear that don't tell you nothink at
all, and with a boiler and what not inside him,
for aught I know—why you might as well try
to sit a steam-engine when she's got off the line
and her boiler's a bustin'."

Red-nose had it all his own way after this