140 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



had been going very fast for about three miles., over 

 a stiffly enclosed country, his horse was blown in 

 making up leeway ; and the first thing I saw of my 

 furious friend was upon hearing a crash behind me, 

 to behold him on his back in the field, with his 

 horse's hind-legs in the ditch. I turned round and 

 asked him if he was hurt. " Hurt ! " said he, " I am 

 not often hurt." That was true enough, for no man 

 had more falls than himself without being hurt. He 

 was soon in the saddle, having held the rein in his 

 hand, as most men who ride for a fall do. A brook 

 being just then before us, he went down at it, a 

 hundred miles an hour pace, with a sneering cheer 

 to me " Now, come along ; we are even again." I 

 merely laughed at his ill- humour, and was soon over 

 alongside of him. He then rode up-hill as hard as 

 he could go at some stiff posts and rails. Crash 

 went the top bar, and over rolled horse and rider 

 together. I thanked him for letting me through so 

 easily. He angrily replied that he was not yet 

 beaten, and mounting again, charged a five-barred 

 gate leading into a turnpike-road. This was a settler. 

 His horse fell over, and threw the rider with great 

 violence nearly across the road; and this time he 

 was really hurt, and obliged to confess it. Having 

 waited to ascertain that no bones were broken, al- 

 though he was most seriously bruised, I prevailed 

 upon him to go quietly home.' 



It is not always the man who makes the most 



