1 40 HUNTING TRIPS 



few yards would suddenly break and let 

 him down to the bottom, and he would then 

 have to plunge and paw his way through 

 to the opposite shore. Often it is almost 

 impossible to make a pony attempt the 

 crossing under such circumstances; and I 

 have seen ponies which had to be knocked 

 down and pulled across glare ice on their 

 sides. If the horse slips and falls it is a 

 serious matter to the rider ; for a wetting in 

 such cold weather, with a long horseback 

 journey to make, is no joke. 



I was still several miles from the hut I 

 was striving to reach when the sun set ; and 

 for some time previous the valley had been 

 in partial darkness, though the tops of the 

 sombre bluffs around were still lit up. The 

 pony loped steadily on along the trail, 

 which could be dimly made out by the star- 

 light. I hurried the willing little fellow all I 

 could without distressing him, for though 

 I knew the road pretty well, yet I doubted 

 if I could find it easily in perfect darkness ; 

 and the clouds were gathering overhead 



