RIDING ON THE ROAD. 125 



this morning ! " And the great tears rolled down the poor 

 fellow's cheeks, and I felt grieved for having spoken im- 

 patiently to him when his heart was so sore. It was a 

 lesson not to be forgotten, for there are times with ourselves 

 when sickness or trouble prevents us from attending 

 properly to our tasks ; and servants are liable to similar 

 weaknesses. 



It will be well, when you are seated comfortably in your 

 saddle and have felt your horse's mouth a little, to inquire 

 of your host (should the animal belong to him) whether or 

 not he has any peculiarities, or " little tricks," for which it 

 may be as well you should be prepared. You will be 

 almost certain to hear " No," for it is a strange coincidence 

 that men are quite as infatuated about their equine pos- 

 sessions as women are about their children, and will never 

 on any account be induced to believe that such a thing 

 as a fault can possibly exist in the nature or training of 

 any of their stud. At the same time, it can be no harm to 

 ask^ and then, if the owner can be reluctantly brought to 

 acknowledge that he " wants a bit of rousing," you may 

 prepare yourself for the discomforts of riding a slug, or, 

 if the animal is allowed to be " a trifle skittish," you can 

 ask for an ounce or two of diachylon, or the same quantity 

 of birdlime, to stick yourself well in the saddle ! 



Joking apart, it is really an unwise thing to be too 

 foolhardy about riding strange horses. The most coura- 

 geous equestrian in the world ought not to fancy herself 

 above asking, in a pleasant off-hand way, for some in- 

 formation concerning the character of her casual mount ; 



