‘I can break him easy enough,’ he said, with all the eagerness of a schoolboy. ‘He is half handled now, and it will be easy for me to back him.’
‘But how shall we keep him till we get to Garrandilla?’
‘Oh! I’ll square it with the chap that looks after the spare horses; there’s a mare with them as he’ll likely take to. He can’t get away far in hobbles anyhow.’
So Jack being sent off with the whole of Mr. Neuchamp’s remaining capital, in half an hour returned with the colt at the end of a long halter, and a properly witnessed receipt from John Williams of Boro, which he handed to Ernest.
‘I made him draw out a receipt, all regular, and get the nearest man I could cooey to, to sign it. There’s no knowing but somebody might claim the colt without this—say you’d worked him on the cross. There’s nothing like being safe with a good horse like this.’
Mr. Neuchamp was pleased with his purchase, which he immediately christened ‘Osmund,’ after an old hunter with a favourite family name at Neuchampstead.
‘I’ll do nothing but handle him to-day,’ said Windsor; ‘to-morrow I’ll get a spare saddle and bridle, and will tackle him.’
‘Good gracious!’ said Ernest, ‘is that the way you break horses in this country? Have you no cavesson, or breaking-bit, or web surcingle?’
‘All them’s very well when you’ve got ’em,’ said Mr. Windsor; ‘but they don’t have saddlers’ shops on the plains, and if a man can ride he can do without ‘em, and do justice to his horse too.’
So next day Jack procured an old bridle and saddle, the bit belonging to which he carefully wrapped round with rag, thinly increasing its bulk and rendering it fit for ‘mouthing’ or slightly bruising, without cutting, the corners of the lips of a young horse. This and the saddle, by means of patience and persuasion, he managed to get fairly placed and buckled upon Osmund, who objected a little, but finally marched along not very much alarmed by his novel accoutrements. All this time the sheep-driving was efficiently conducted by Mr. Neuchamp and the dog Watch, who amply justified the anticipations indulged in by Mr. Windsor at the time of his purchase.