h Tom had
said was only "'alf broke;" so he turned the key, opened the door, and
went in.

There was nothing _very_ peculiar about this horse, excepting that his
legs seemed rather long for his body, and upon a closer examination,
there was a noticeable breadth of nostril and a latent fire in his eye,
indicating a good deal of spirit, which, like Charley's own, required
taming.

"Oh," said Charley, "what a splendid fellow! I say, Harry, I'll go out
with _him_."

"You'd better not."

"Why not?"

"Why? just because if you do Mr Grant will be down upon you, and your
father won't be very well pleased."

"Nonsense," cried Charley. "Father didn't say I wasn't to take him. I
don't think he'd care much. He's not afraid of my breaking my neck.
And then, Mr Grant seemed to be only afraid of my being run off with--
not of his horse being hurt. Here goes for it!" In another moment
Charley had him saddled and bridled, and led him out into the yard.

"Why, I declare he's quite quiet; just like a lamb," said Harry, in
surprise.

"So he is," replied Charley. "He's a capital charger; and even if he
does bolt, he can't run five hundred miles at a stretch. If I turn his
head to the prairies, the Rocky Mountains are the first things that will
bring him up. So let him run if he likes, I don't care a fig." And
springing lightly into the saddle, he cantered out of the yard, followed
by his friend.

The young horse was a well-formed, showy animal, with a good deal of
bone--perhaps too much for elegance. He was of a beautiful dark brown,
and carried a high head and tail, with a high-stepping gait, that gave
him a noble appearance. As Charley cantered along at a steady pace, he
could discover no symptoms of the refractory spirit which had been
ascribed to him.

"Let us strike out straight for the horizon now," said Harry, after they
had galloped half a mile or so along the beaten track. "See, here are
the tracks of our friends." Turning sharp round as he spoke, he leaped
his pony over the heap that lined the road, and galloped away through
the soft snow.

At this point the young horse began to show his evil spirit. Instead of
following the other, he suddenly halted and began to back.

"Hollo, Harry!" exclaimed Charley; "hold on a bit. Here's this monster
begun his tricks."

"Hit him a crack with the whip," shouted Harry.

Charley acted upon the advice, which had the effect of making the horse
shake his head w