me five thousand francs. Out of eight, I said to myself, there will
always be four or five who will go, and who will be good enough to serve
as remounts.

"Among the horses there was one that I had bought, I must confess,
particularly on account of his coat, which was beautiful. The catalogue
did not attribute to him any special qualifications for hunting, but
limited itself to '_Brutus, riding horse_.' He was a large dapple-gray
horse, but never, I think, have I seen gray better dappled; the white
coat was strewn almost regularly with beautiful black spots, which were
well distributed and well marked.

"I left town the next day for Roche-Targé, and the following day, early,
they announced to me that the horses had arrived. I at once went down to
see them, and my first glance was at Brutus. He had been trotting in my
head for forty-eight hours, that devil of a gray horse, and I had a
singular desire to know what he was and of what he was capable.

"I had him taken out of the stable first. A groom led him to me with a
strap. The horse had long teeth, hollows in the chest, lumpy
fetlocks--in short, all the signs of respectable age; but he had
powerful shoulders, a large breast, a neck which was both strong and
supple, head well held, tail well placed, and an irreproachable back. It
wasn't, however, all this that attracted most my attention. What I
admired above all was the air with which Brutus looked at me, and with
what an attentive, intelligent, and curious eye he followed my movements
and gestures. Even my words seemed to interest him singularly; he
inclined his head to my side as if to hear me, and, as soon as I had
finished speaking, he neighed joyously in answer.