We had lived very sparely during our riding tour, oil and garlic predominating to such a degree in all the second-class “fondas” in Spain, as to prevent an English palate taking food, except he cooked it himself. As we were a party of three, this difficulty was easily got over by our taking it in turns to make the omelettes, or spatchcock a fowl at our different halting-places. This sort of diet had naturally sharpened our appetites, and even the “sniff” of a real French dinner made us ravenous. Influenced by this feeling, Colonel C——ll, addressing our hostess of The Hôtel de France, exclaimed: “Avez-vous assez, madame, parce-que j’ai beaucoup de femmes?”
The poor woman looked thunderstruck.
“Mais, monsieur, vous m’avez rien dit de ça! Où sont-elles donc ces dames?”
I need not say that her notion that the colonel was a Turkish pasha, travelling with his harem, was soon dispelled when we took our places at the table-d’hôte en garçon.
[CHAPTER VII.]
Draught horses—The old “fly-waggon”—Weight and pace—Sagacity of mules—Hanging on by a wheel—The Refuge—Hot fighting in the Alps—Suffocation—Over at last—Railway to Paris.
The selection of horses for draught purposes should be made with a view to the pace at which they are expected to work. You may get a perfect model for harness and draught, but if he is not cut according to the pattern which is required for fast work, half his energy and good intention will be exhausted in trying to do that for which he is physically unfit. He is prevented from throwing his weight and strength into his work, because it takes him all his time to keep his place.