Courage vs. Funk 149 



question. On the field of battle, it is said, men lose all 

 sense of fear and do things that seem wonderfully brave and 

 courageous, when the truth is that they have passed, for the 

 time being, beyond the effects of fear or courage. Men 

 frequently do things in an apparently cool and natural way 

 while what we call nerve is — instead of being active — 

 simply in abeyance. Women do many heroic things the 

 very thought of which, when their nerve and courage 

 return, is enough to make them taint. 



Some persons, especially nervous people, ride to hounds 

 in a similar state, particularly when in the act of jumping. 

 They send their horses at a fence *' neck or nothing," and 

 are regarded as brave and courageous, when the fact is they 

 could not have taken it coolly if they had tried. In other 

 words, it is a case of fear. The same is true of a cowardly 

 horse. He rushes neck or nothing over his fences as he would 

 rush a steam-roller. The rider rushes his fences as he 

 would rush a crazy man firing a revolver at random. It 

 is fear pure and simple, but it is often called courage. 

 Horses and riders of this sort go into a trance ; that is, they 

 sense the danger to a certain point, just as a soldier dreads 

 and fears the bullets until the first round is over and he 

 passes beyond fear. It is well known that a criminal 

 who breaks down utterly at the thought of being hanged 

 will, when the hour comes, walk out upon the scaffold with 

 more composure than any person in sight. We call it 

 courage in the face of death. It is neither, but a provision 

 of a kind Providence to rob him, for the time, of all sense of 

 fear. The really brave man, the truly courageous horse, is 

 one who knows the danger, who realises as clearly and 



