both his thighs, and the abbey clock struck one." He struck both his cozy-looking legs, and exclaimed, bending forward, and with an animation the result partly of natural feeling and partly of port wine, "Now I know something that would make a nice tale !" The traveller jumped up and embraced him. "You are the identical man I want." And then he danced round the room and back to his chair, singing exultantly, "All round the room I waltzed with Helen Taylor." "What is it, my dear fellow ?" he enquired. "Why it's about the Countess of Dunbar and her son, the young Earl. Now, let me see who can tell it you. There's so-and-so and soand-so. You'll have to invite them to dinner some day." "Oh! by all means. You arrange it." It was arranged, and on a certain day at three p.m. a plentiful dinner was provided for the coming guests. Fish, soups, mutton, turkey, goose, a sucking pig in memory of Oswald's adventure, and plum pudding. But need we give the list where Morris provided? The gentlemen came and were duly presented. They had all names which indicated that their ancestors came over with or were alive when the Conqueror came. Robertus de Outram, an eminent agriculturist of Forfar Lodge; Edwardus de Baxteribus, a famous merchant who has figured in these pages in an adventure relating to the Menai Tubular Bridge; Johannes Eddisonis, a medical man of eminence; our old friend Edwin Eddison, the white-haired magistrate, Oswald's friend; and not least, Edvardus de Bartlamis, a distinguished member of the scholastic profession, under whose careful teaching some of the above gentlemen had been educated in refinement and highest culture; Thomas de Greatorex, a singing bird; Ricardus de Nicholson, baronet; Henry de Gatford, joint founder, with a deceased cousin of his, of the" Greyfield Labourers' Enemy Society;" Benjamin Shireoaks de Spectacles, descended from Sir John Byron the Little, with the great beard, once of Newstead. Add to these (on whose top-coats snow had fallen as they came) two gentlemen who were staying in the house, Mr. Tuxford and his friend Mr. Marsden, at whose house James Conway was hospitably entertained during the Doncaster race week, and the list is complete of those who sat down that day to a splendid dinner, followed by dessert, champagne, Burgundy, hock, port, sherry, punch, soda-water, cigars, pipes, until all got What? That we will leave to the reader's imagination. This was repeated every day for a fortnight; and each day, after they had left, the traveller garnered up his Autumn Leaves. One day a note was handed to him as dinner had just concluded, sealed with a coronet. It ran thus: "Forfar Castle, December, 1863. "The Countess of Dunbar hearing that Mr. Fox and a learned body of gentlemen are engaged in post-prandial and antediluvian researches in this neighbourhood in the endeavour to discover traces of pre-Adamite man, begs to forward for their acceptance a haunch of venison from a buck, a lineal descendant from one existing in pre-animal times. It is from her own park. The Countess also wishes to intimate to Mr. Fox that for the young Earl's majority ale is brewed, and she hopes all those surviving of Mr. Fox's readers and friends will accept her invitation to be present at the castle when the event occurs and the rejoicings takes place. "Old Fox, Esq." Mr. Fox read this epistle aloud amidst rounds of applause. He then solemnly entrusted his M.S. to Mr. Tuxford, who was on his way to a house near Temple-bar, and who solemnly put it into his breast pocket, and buttoned up his coat to protect it, as if he valued it highly. Then Fox said Adieu! A vote of thanks was accorded him, and the house shook with the wild huzzahs. With his right hand on his left breast he with great emotion responded, and went his way, "ne'er to pass that hoary threshold more;" the worthies he left behind him weeping at the loss, and glancing lovingly at the fire, at the wintry weather outside, at the wine; and then a song was proposed, and Thomas de Greatorex sang, “Oh! after many roving years," and "The banquet hall deserted ;" Robertus de Outram," Lovely Nan," which was highly applauded; Henry de Gatford, "My ain fireside;" Mr. Spectacles a ditty about the Dutch, and Edwardus de Bartlam concluded with "The Groves of Blarney,' and "Paddy's Wedding, O." And then the party were huddled into a large fly, and deposited at their respective homes, to the consternation of the dames of the Benedicts, who were glad the wild orgies were over for that year, for it was arranged the party should meet again cach Christmas. And now, my merry masters all, I drop the "we" in my solemn leave-taking: wishing you a happy Christmas, I conclude after a pleasant companionship with you-not forgetting Golden-locks-of eight swift months, and whilst the old year 1864 is putting on his wintry and last shroud (a white one it will be, it is to be hoped), and is rapidly getting pulscless, I say Adio, in true Yelverton style. "Full knee-deep lies the winter's snow, For the old year lies a dying," which is the true Tennysonian style, and as he lies a dying I raise my imaginary hat to him and you, and say fervently Adieu. The old year is wanted to join the ghosts of past years, who are even now with lustreless eyes beckoning him to come to the Phrygian shore; and the Old Fox is wanted by his- No to write another tale, in which he hopes to dip his brush in glowing and pleasing colours. When these lines meet your eyes, beloved readers, the old year will be dead, drowned in Christmas punch or in a butt of malmsey, and killed, suffocated in his expiring moments with Christmas pudding and pies, to say nothing of turkeys, geese, and little pigs; and on his honored bier will be laid to his memory the legendary misletoe and holly, the druidical misletoe and gleaming scarlet holly, without which Christmas would not be Christmas-that is, the Christmas of our boyish days-and the new bright young year 1865, in which many momentous scenes are to be enacted (it may be the bond becoming free), will have come smiling upon the scene all innocent and unsophisticated in the world's ways, and around his baby hat will be wreathed the like holly and misletoe which graced his parent's bier. If our M.S. be not too long for January the first born, he will, when these lines are read, be an hour or two old; bless the baby boy! During his reign, dear readers, may you be happy; and the author and his family circle, and may he and they enjoy the pheasants, oysters, and other nice presents which will no doubt be directed to him at the office of this magazine, with the words "To be forwarded" on the labels. May you and all connected with you during that time, and in that after-time in which many a year to come will appear blushing upon the scene, retain the spring-time of your foliage and leaf. May that time, that hour and moment, be far distant-that inevitable hour and day when you too shall see your last year on earth, as one by one you drop to the ground-spent Autumn Leaves. Descended from Arab parents, the mustang or wild horse shows all the blood and breeding for which the Arabian horses are famous. The Moors, who brought from Barbary their horses when they occupied part of Spain, little thought that afterwards the descendants of their "wind devourers" should stock the New World with horses; for previous to the arrival of Cortez and his companions in arms, no horse existed on the whole of the American continent. Now, from the fiftieth degree of north latitude to the fortieth degree south, the great plains are dotted with their herds. Active, hardy, and beautifully formed little horses they are too, and, when captured young, become wonderfully docile. It is strange, too, how soon they become accustomed to the discharge of guns or pistols from their backs, and I have often had horses who have stood fire from the first, perfectly unconcerned. The Arab proverb that "the nearer the sun, the nobler the steed," has proved true in Texas, Mexico, and California, for more beautiful or more enduring horses can be found nowhere. Easily fed, the prairie grass being as good food as he cares for, the mustang can be ridden continuously for months, as has been proved in the long expeditions from Texas overland to California; and in prairie warfare, in pursuit as in retreat, he has a wonderful turn of speed, and can keep it for hours. The "cut off" foals make the best "hunting" horses; as, being raised by hand, they become as gentle, obedient, and affectionate as dogs, and will follow their masters, or come to a call or whistle when wanted, as quickly as a spaniel. This is of great advantage to the prairie hunter, as all ride and nobody walks the prairies; and when the deer-hunter discovers a deer, or herd of deer, he quietly dismounts, leaving his horse to graze whilst he crawls or creeps through the grass to get his shot; and when he has succeeded, he either calls up his horse, or else returns to find him quietly waiting for his master not ten paces from where he was left. A horse that I hunted steadily upon for seven years, and that I have left thousands of times unfastened in any way, both on the prairie and in the forest, never once served me any trick, or attempted to avoid my catching him. I have mentioned a "cut off" foal, and this means a foal that has been cut off from its mother by the horse hunter riding between them, the frightened mare clinging to the herd, whilst the rider gradually bears away from the ruck, until a swell of the prairie conceals them, when he can pull up: the foal will follow the hunter's horse home without the slightest trouble. Fed upon "mush" and milk, and in time Indian corn and pumpkin, the young mustang is brought up as kindly and made as much of as the Arabian foal in the Sheik's tent on the sands of "Arably the blest." I once made one of a party to cut off some foals from the mares. A cattle-raiser," who lived on Dickensons Bayou, near the Gulf of Mexico, invited me to assist in one of these gallops. On the morning appointed, nine of us met at Mr. Cook's rancho, most of us having ridden there over night, so as to have our horses fresh for the work before them. After a regular southern breakfast of fruits and venison, "dabber" (milk which has become, through the heat of the climate, of the consistency of blanc-mange) and honey, capital coffee, &c., the whole followed by a nip of old Bourbon, whisky, in case of snake bites-at least that was the reason advanced, though we were about in as much danger of being crushed by an elephant as bitten by a snake-we mounted our horses at about nine o'clock, and rode out into the prairie. The coast prairie is flat as a billiard table, seemingly, and the horizon appears to be about ten miles distant; though, flat as it seems, there are imperceptible swells in it that serve to hide herds of wild animals in their "dips," so that we had not ridden more than four or five miles before we discovered the caballada of mustangs of which we were in search. As soon as we sighted them we halted to consult as to our advance, for the horse in a wild state has a keen sense of smell, and we had to consider how best to approach them without being winded. On our right, but about twenty miles distant, was the Gulf of Mexico, from which a moderate south-east breeze was blowing; to our "right front" was the caballada, so that it became necessary for us to turn up for a mile or so to the north-west, when we might try to get upon good terms with them without the possibility of their scenting us. Arrived at the proper place, we all dismounted, and screwing ourselves behind the shoulders of our horses, we endeavoured to give ourselves the appearance of a small "manada (bunch of horses, as caballada " means a large drove) advancing upon the prairie slowly feeding. It was slow work through the rough wiry grass to push our way, and yet keep in the stooping positions we had taken to prevent the wild herd discovering us; but we gradually, if slowly, worked our way for about a mile and a-half, till we got within a proper distance for a rush, and springing at a given word into our saddles, we were well up with the caballada before they knew what was the matter. As we galloped along pêle mêle we each had some difficulty in riding out the fillies and colts; for however easy it may be for a single horseman to cut off an outside colt, it is altogether a different thing for several men at the same time to cut out several foals, as you cannot, do what you will, avoid getting into one another's way. By degrees however, first one and then the other gradually got his quarry where he wanted it; and as they severally fell out, it made it easier for the others to fall out too. From the first I had selected a beautiful little iron grey who stuck close to her mother, an old white mare, and as the mare clung to the very thickest of the herd, I had all "my work cut out" to get between her and her foal. After about three miles had been covered, and when some of my companions had succeeded in getting clear of the ruck, I managed to press the old mare by degrees to the outer edge of the caballada, and then watching my opportunity when the young one got upon the outer side of the mare, I put on a spurt and ran between them, and then bearing hard off from the rest, got the little iron grey all to myself; then pulling up gradually, the colt stopped by the side of my horse as contentedly as though it had been its mother. Gradually we all got together again, and found that each man had got either a colt or a filly. About a year afterwards I was obliged to leave the coast country for the interior, when I was obliged to part with the first wild horse I had then ever captured, and sold it to a German at Galveston. The Texans and Mexicans, whenever they want a fresh steed, and do not care to part with their dollars, mount their horses, and, taking their lassocs, ride out on to the prairie, and finding a herd of wild horses they manœuvre to get as near as they can to them; then selecting their victim, they make a dash at it, and rarely fail to rope it. Breaking it when caught is a very short operation. The horse is roped, thrown down, and very nearly choked with the lasso, and whilst in this state has a 66 bowstall put on to its head in lieu of a bridle. This simple but powerful instrument is made in half a minute. A turn is taken round the horse's head, between the eyes and the nostrils, which is knotted: one end of the rope or "cabresto is passed over the horse's head behind his ears, and this forms, when fastened to the loop round his head, a head stall similar to one of our halters. As soon as all this is made secure, a second loop is made around the chin and close to the nostrils, and from this the reins lead, through a kind of hangman's knot, so that when the reins are pulled the loop contracts and closes the nose and mouth, so that unless the horse stops, or throws his head up, he becomes almost strangled, and is compelled to obey. The spurs used, to compel obedience, are very large, and often weigh very heavily; the rowels are often as large in circumference as five shilling pieces, generally divided into five blunt prongs shaped like a star; and though they are nearly always blunt, yet they bruise a horse and hurt him excessively, though they rarely puncture the skin. The Spanish or Mexican saddle, as it is called indifferently, is next firmly secured upon the horse; and the saddle itself, with its high "horn" and high cantle, does not weigh a trifle, to say nothing about the weight of the huge wooden stirrups; stirrup leathers three inches broad, and great sole leather. Sweat leathers, too, add to the |