第22章

He was deep and thick through behind the shoulders, and girthed ever so much more than you'd think.He had a short back, and his ribs went out like a cask, long quarter, great thighs and hocks, wonderful legs, and feet of course to do the work he did.His head was plainish, but clean and bony, and his eye was big and well opened, with no white showing.His shoulder was sloped back that much that he couldn't fall, no matter what happened his fore legs.

All his paces were good too.I believe he could jump -- jump anything he was ridden at, and very few horses could get the better of him for one mile or three.

Where he'd come from, of course, we were not to know then.

He had a small private sort of brand that didn't belong to any of the big studs; but he was never bred by a poor man.

I afterwards found out that he was stolen before he was foaled, like many another plum, and his dam killed as soon as she had weaned him.

So, of course, no one could swear to him, and Starlight could have ridden past the Supreme Court, at the assizes, and never been stopped, as far as this horse was concerned.

Before we went away father and Starlight had some terrible long talks, and one evening Jim came to me, and says he --`What do you think they're up to now?'

`How should I know? Sticking up a bank, or boning a flock of maiden ewes to take up a run with? They seem to be game for anything.

There'll be a hanging match in the family if us boys don't look out.'

`There's no knowing,' says Jim, with a roguish look in his eye (I didn't think then how near the truth I was), `but it's about a horse this time.'

`Oh! a horse; that alters the matter.But what's one horse to make such a shine about?'

`Ah, that's the point,' says poor old Jim, `it's a horse worth talking about.

Don't you remember the imported entire that they had his picture in the papers -- him that Mr.Windhall gave 2000 Pounds for?'

`What! the Marquis of Lorne? Why, you don't mean to say they're going for him?'

`By George, I do!' says Jim; `and they'll have him here, and twenty blood mares to put to him, before September.'

`They're all gone mad -- they'll raise the country on us.

Every police trooper in the colony'll be after us like a pack of dingoes after an old man kangaroo when the ground's boggy, and they'll run us down, too;they can't be off it.Whatever made 'em think of such a big touch as that?'

`That Starlight's the devil, I think,' said Jim slowly.`Father didn't seem to like it at first, but he brought him round bit by bit --said he knew a squatter in Queensland he could pass him on to;that they'd keep him there for a year and get a crop of foals by him, and when the "derry" was off he'd take him over himself.'

`But how's he going to nail him? People say Windhall keeps him locked up at night, and his box is close to his house.'

`Starlight says he has a friend handy; he seems to have one or two everywhere.

It's wonderful, as father told him, where he gets information.'

`By George! it would be a touch, and no mistake.And if we could get a few colts by him out of thoroughbred mares we might win half the races every year on our side and no one a bit the wiser.'