THE BAEB AND THE BRIDLE. 149 



skirt. \ATien the horse recovers his footing on the bottom he will 

 make another struggle, but the hold of the right hand upon the 

 pommel will always preserve the seat of the rider. To be quite safe 

 in such a predicament is simply a question of knowing what to do, 

 and having the presence of mind to do it quickly. To show that the 

 necessity for swimming a horse may occur to a lady as well as to a 

 gentleman the following case, I trust, will suffice. 



Many years ago I was riding with a lady from the village of 

 Renteria en route to San Sebastian, in the north of Spain. The 

 way was round a couple of headlands, between which was a deep 

 bay, running up to the hamlet of Lezo. This bay was all fine sand 

 up to some low but rather precipitous cliffs at the head of the inlet, 

 but at the extremity of either headland careful riding was requisite 

 by reason of rough rocky places. On the occasion I allude to the 

 tide was flowing when we rounded the first point. Having been 

 long accustomed to the place, however, we both considered that we 

 had ample time safely to turn the other extremity of the bay ; but a 

 lively spring tide, aided by a brisk north-easterly wind, caused the 

 sea, running in through the narrow gut of " Passages," to increase 

 in velocity to such an extent that we were completely out in our 

 reckoning. Seeing the tide gaining rapidly on us, we set our horses 

 going at top speed over the level sand, racing (as it were) with the 

 *' hungry waters " for the distant point. When we neared it, how- 

 ever, I saw at once that it was hopeless to attempt rounding 

 it, for our horses were already above the girths in water, keeping 

 their feet with difficulty on the level sand, and I knew that* to try 

 to keep them on their legs on the shelving and rocky bottom at the 

 extremity of the point would result in their rolling over us. There 

 was nothing, therefore, for it but to try back, endeavour to regain 

 the head of the inlet, and make the attempt, however difficult, to 

 clamber up the steep but still sloping face of the cliff. Long before 

 we reached our point, however, both horses were swimming ; but they 

 made scarcely a perceptible struggle in doing so, as the rising water 

 lifted them from the level sand bodily off their feet. The lady (who 

 was at first a little fliu'ried) lost no time in getting her habit and her 

 leg out of the way of mischief, and quickly regaining her nerve laid 



