40 THE SILVER FOX 



and finally bucked over the wall, lifting 

 his rider perceptibly in the saddle. There 

 was but one fence now between Hugh and 

 the road. It was a large bank with furze 

 bushes growing on it, and a small ditch in 

 front of it. Hugh trotted down its whole 

 length with a sick, angry heart, looking for 

 a low place. 



" My God ! " he said to himself, '' I can't 

 ride at it. It's no good trying." 



One spot seemed to him a trifle lower 

 than the rest, and setting his teeth, he put 

 the horse at it. The effort to command 

 himself and not to pull the horse's head as 

 he came to the jump amounted in its way 

 to agony ; he did not know if he were glad 

 or sorry when the grey, soured by the day's 

 misadventures, swerved from the fence and 

 bucketed round the field, pulling hard and 

 trying to get his head down. Hugh stopped 

 him and dismounted. He would not think 

 of what he was going to do, but there was 

 a hard knot in his throat as he walked the 

 grey across the field. He tied the lash of 



