VOICE. 167 



showed resentment in this respect by rushing at me 

 after I had dismounted, simply because I endeavoured 

 to pat and say a kind word to him. I have no 

 doubt that he would have accepted my well-meant 

 advances if we had had time to mutually understand 

 each other. A show jumper named Mons Meg 

 was so terrified of the man who used to ride her 

 that, on hearing his voice, even from a distance, 

 she would break out in a perspiration and stand 

 trembling with terror. The mare was really so 

 kind that we had her for a time at Ward's Riding 

 School, and she was ridden without reins over jumps 

 by several of our pupils. I took her to ride in a 

 jumping competition at the Agricultural Hall; but, 

 unfortunately, the rider she disliked came to her stall 

 and spoke to her, with the usual result, and when I 

 got on her back she was violently agitated, and refused 

 the second fence, which was a gate. At one moment 

 it seemed as though she would have brought us both 

 to grief, for she tried to jump out of the ring among 

 the people a feat, I was afterwards told, she had 

 performed on more than one occasion. She would 

 always jump kindly when away from the hated show 

 ring, where she must at some time or other have been 

 badly treated. When animals get into a state of 

 nervous excitement, a few pats on the neck and a 

 soothing word or two often act like magic in calming 

 them down. A mare which was lent me in Calcutta 

 by a horse importer, and on which I won a cup in 

 an open jumping competition, was in such a state of 



