204 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



absolutely an unpardonably bad horseman. He 

 was worse ; he was a man who could never by 

 any means have been made a horseman. Why 

 he went hunting I never coald understand. I 

 am sure he did not enjoy it ; at least he did not 

 look as if he did, and he got in everyone's way. 

 He said to me one day when he turned away from 

 a little fence '' I have not jumped yet ; but it is 

 my intention to do so in a week or two.'' 



An instance of the truth of Egerton Warbur- 

 ton's line ma}^ fitly conclude this chapter. A 

 ]ady of my acquaintance was a fine horsewoman 

 with an undeniable nerve and was always with 

 hounds. One day, when there was a great deal of 

 grief she had a fall and I caught her horse. As we 

 rode on she asked me if I had seen her fall so that 

 I could describe it. On my replying in the affir- 

 mative she charged me to be honest and asked me 

 if she had cut a voluntary. I said she had not, 

 but when closely pressed I was obliged to admit 

 that I thought she had '* helped her horse down." 

 She thought a moment and then said " Yes, why 

 didn't I sit still, I wonder ? " 



Why don't we ? 



