THE RIDING 217 



because it is strong at the commencement of 

 life, that it will not fail under the strain of 

 irregular habits. Be moderate in eating, drink- 

 ing, and smoking. Avoid strong tea and coffee, 

 go to bed early, and remember that a failing 

 nerve may be always traced to the stomach. 

 Want of nerve and funk are not the same 

 thing, yet the nervous man is in a manner 

 afraid. I do not believe the absolute coward 

 exists any more than the man who cannot feel 

 fear. We shall all have to face death some 

 day, and I do not think any of us fear that 

 moment ; but it is the manner of death that 

 makes us afraid. The soldier who has led a 

 forlorn hope with a smile on his face, might 

 be afraid if asked to do what a chimney-jack 

 does every day; yet I do not suppose that 

 death from a fall of a hundred and fifty feet 

 would be any more painful than being riddled 

 with bullets. The man who has the character 

 of not knowing what fear is, will perhaps 

 cower under an operation that a delicate woman 

 would bear without a murmur. We are not 

 all built of the same material, and the thing 

 that frightens one man will have no effect on 



