Page:Lieutenant and Others (1915) by Sapper.djvu/120

 to the progress of his charges. “Not bad, sir,” he said—“not bad. The best of them easy is that there Brown. He don’t look much on a horse—in fact, he looks like a sack o’ potatoes—but ’e’s a tryer, and we’ll turn ’im into something before we’ve done.”

Then one day—about four in the afternoon—I happened to wander through the stables. They were deserted apparently save for the stableman—until, in a corner, I came upon Driver Brown. He was giving his horse sugar, and making much of him—to use the riding-school phrase. We had a talk, and he told me things, when he got over his shyness—about his parents and where he lived, and that he loved animals, and a lot else besides. From then on I kept my eye on Brown, and the more I did so, the more I liked him. He was no beauty—he was not particularly smart—but he was one of the best. His N.C.O.’s swore by him—his two horses had never looked better—his harness was spotless. In addition to that he played back in the football eleven, if not with great skill, at any rate with immense keenness. He had exactly the figure for a zealous full back, and was of the type who kicked with such vim