THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



who is rather slack at his fences, or, more likely, fearing we 

 might drop short, I rammed my spurs into the young one's 

 sides, and he jumped further than he need have done. He kept 

 his legs on landing, but the third step he took afterwards, his 

 toe struck the top of one of those ant-hills with which that 

 part of Leicestershire abounds, and down he went on his head. 

 He rolled completely over me, and we lay on the ground 

 together. He was up first, however — for I could neither stir 

 hand nor foot ; but it was only from the wind being knocked 

 out of me, and in a very few minutes I caught him. Indeed, 

 he was walking quietly away, with his back turned upon the 

 hounds, having very little puff left in him ; in other words, he 

 appeared regularly pumped out. Nor did I like his appearance 

 at all ; it was anything but pleasing. His tail was shaking — 

 his flanks worked violently — his nostrils were much distended : 

 there was that glare of the eye, also, which horses exhibit when 

 they are much overworked : and he staggered as I leaned my 

 weight on the stirrup. I stood still for a moment, but could 

 hear nothing. " It's all over," said I ; " they have run away 

 from me ; I must go home " ; and I patted the young one on 

 the neck, saying, " Well, you have gone a good one," and 

 walked him along a headland to a gate which led to a hard 

 road. Here he struck into a trot, without being urged to it by 

 me, which plainly showed he was recovering himself ; and the 

 bleeding from his cheek had ceased. " Hark ! " said I ; " surely 

 I hear the hounds " ; but Brilliant had heard them before me. 

 From a trot he struck into a gallop, and I saw them about a 

 mile ahead of me. " The fox will not long face this wind," 

 said I ; " I have a chance of dropping in with them yet. By 

 Jove, they are coming round to me ; he has turned short for 

 Quenby. I shall catch ' them at Newton village. What a 

 tickler the nags must have had over the Newton hills ! " 



' As I predicted, I fell in with them in a road a little beyond 

 the village. There were eleven men with the hounds, and I 

 made the twelfth ; all the rest, as 'Kelly said, after one of 

 Eclipse's races — " nowhere." " Where have you been ? " said 

 one. " Where I deserved to have been," was my reply. " Are 

 you hurt ? " " No." But my horse ! what state was he in ? 

 Wliy, 1 will tell you. The hard road had greatly recovered him 

 and he leaped a widish place out of the lane, when the hounds 

 crossed under his nose, as well as he could have leaped it in 



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