ON HUNTING 



21 



gap or easy place in a fence ; it is not sporting. Wait your 

 turn. Never jump a fence close behind anyone else ; see 

 them clear away on the other side before you jump. Often 

 your horse is impetuous with being kept back and will rush 

 in and follow another horse quite close. You cannot, perhaps, 

 stop him at short notice and may jump on the man in front if 

 his horse happens to fall. If anyone gets off to open a 

 refractory gate (and, by the way, get off and open a fair share 

 yourself), let him get on his horse again before you move 

 away an inch. If you move off even slowly his horse will 

 follow yours, and he will be hopping along with one foot 

 in the stirrup and the other perhaps ankle deep in mud. 

 If you can catch a riderless horse and take him back to his 

 owner, do so ; it is a Christian act, and you will appreciate 

 the kindness after running half a mile in top boots across a 

 ploughed field like a gigantic rice pudding. 



YOU WILL APPRECIATE THE KINDNESS AFTER 

 RUNNING HALF A MILE IN TOP BOOTS. 



