WONDERFUL LEAPS. 299 



away with only a broken ankle, while the horse was 

 dashed to pieces. 



A still more extraordinary escape was that of General 

 Yorke, as thus related by himself: "In June 1848, at 

 the island of Dominica, in the West Indies, I fell over 

 a precipice of 237 feet perpendicular height, upon the 

 rocks by the seaside. Every bone of my horse was 

 broken, and I conceive my escape from instant death 

 the most miraculous that ever occurred. My recovery 

 from the shock I sustained was almost as miraculous 

 as my escape with life. I sent out an artist to take a 

 drawing on the spot, and also had the place surveyed 

 by an engineer. I have often thought of putting down 

 all the circumstances of that extraordinary accident, 

 but the dread of being taken for a Baron Munchausen 

 has restrained me. I do not expect that any one will 

 believe me, although there are many living witnesses. 

 Nor do I expect any sympathy, for, as soon as I could 

 hold a pen, I detailed the catastrophe to my mother, to 

 account for my long silence. I received in reply, in 

 due course, a long letter detailing family news, without 

 any allusion to my unfortunate case, except in a post- 

 script, in which she merely said, * Oh, William, I wish 

 you would give up riding after dinner! 



11 P.S. The accident occurred before dinner. During 

 the fall I stuck to my horse." 



This incident illustrates at once the sagacity and the 

 intrepidity of the horse. He was urged by his rider to 

 take the fatal leap; but not till after being several 

 times forced, almost at full speed, to approach an ob- 

 stacle which inspired him with dread, did the poor 

 animal do violence to his instinct, and bound over the 

 frightful precipice, at the foot of which he was found 

 literally smashed to atoms. 



In the great plains of South America the rider sits 

 almost perpendicularly, with the great toe of each foot 

 resting very lightly, and often merely touching, its 

 small triangular stirrup, his legs grasping the horse's 



