IN HIS SWEAT. 263 



Calling him by his name, or perhaps, applying the 

 more familiar epithet " boy," he says, — " As soon as 

 they are well on their legs and settled in their stride, 

 (meaning the horses,) come away with them at a fair 

 even pace until you come to such a place, (naming 

 some land-mark, point, or object well known on the 

 ground). As soon as you get there, take a pull at 

 your horse, keep fast hold of his head, and come with 

 them the whole of the way home at a good sweating 

 pace." The groom, in concluding his orders, says, — 

 " Mind, boy, you do not overmark your horse ;" and 

 then he goes on to tell him how he is to proceed in 

 order to guard against so doing. He says, — " Be sure 

 you do not forget, in coming along, to call sufficiently 

 often on your horse, so as to know what he has left in 

 him to come home with them in the last rally." 



Now, the boy we have been so long teaching to 

 ride is fully aware of what is meant by the groom's 

 orders, to call on his horse. Having reached that part 

 of the ground whence he is ordered to bring them 

 home at the pace mentioned, he takes a pull at 

 his horse and sets him a-going (the other horses 

 following) for whatever length he thinks proper, or 

 rather, as he finds the pace tells on his horse. If he 

 finds his horse goes freely, collectedly, and within 

 himself, he lets him stride away at the pace he was 

 ordered, if he thinks it is not too fast for the other 

 horses ; but the moment he finds his own horse 

 beginning to hang, or not going at the pace kindly 

 as he did at first, he quietly takes a pull and holds him 



