50 THE LIFE OF A HUNTER 



of the best cross-country horses I have 

 known. 



I had fairly good shoulders and a nicely- 

 placed neck, well-sprung ribs, a strong, mus- 

 cular loin and good arms and thighs, while the 

 quality of my coat, my clean, sinewy limbs, and 

 quick ears and eyes proved my good descent 

 better than any paper pedigree. Through- 

 out my life I have been blessed with robust 

 health and a great appetite. I have often 

 been leg-weary, but I never felt depressed 

 in spirits, and at the end of the longest day 

 I was always impatient to get to my 

 manger. I have still the soundest of wind, 

 and have escaped all the most serious 

 kinds of accidents, and I never had the 

 iron on me. I have had my share of 

 over - reaches, cuts, bruises, and have 



