12 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



bestowed upon him, and no matter the urgency 

 no one should move on until he has swung his 

 right leg over the saddle once more. It is apt to 

 lead, too, to a forcible ejaculation, if in the hurry 

 of the moment the rider in front omits to give 

 a closing gate just that necessary shove, and it 

 closes with a bang so close to your horse's head 

 there is scarcely time to pull up to avoid running 

 into it ; or, even still worse, if it catches the 

 animal on the shoulder, which might have been 

 avoided by a little timely courtesy on the part of 

 your predecessor, and would not have cost him 

 five seconds' delay. 



It is not doing to others what he would they 

 should do to him for a man to ride a horse he 

 knows will kick at other horses into a crowd that 

 is standing waiting its turn at a gate or a gap, for 

 if it is kept standing still such a steed is certain 

 to indulge its whim, and maybe seriously damage 

 another horse or its rider. Such an ill-tempered 

 animal can only be taken safely amongst others 

 when all are moving along, and a stoppage for a 

 time is more than likely to be attended with evil 

 consequences. The precaution of affixing a red 

 ribbon to its tail should at least be taken, that all 

 may be cautioned from approaching too near one 

 adorned with the rogue's badge. 



It should hardly be necessary to urge that any 

 one seeing a rider fall, and requiring help, 

 should immediately go to his assistance, however 

 fast and exciting the run may be. Common 

 humanity alone demands this sacrifice of what is 

 l)ut pleasure after all. Yet it sometimes happens 

 that such duty towards one's neighbour is 

 selfishly shirked, and one very sad ending to a 

 very fine horseman and most popular comrade 



