140 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



every mark spring up on his legs, and hit the marks, 

 both on his right and left hand, and then sit down 

 again, repeating the same at the second and third 

 marks, and thereby discovering an incredible agility 

 and skilfulness at shooting. There was a third, who 

 was the only one among them that could, while he 

 was sitting on a bare-backed horse, so soon as ever 

 he came to the marks, lay his back close to the 

 horse's, then stretching his feet up in the air, start 

 upon his feet in a moment, and fix his arrow in the 

 mark. 



" At last, when the marks were quite loaded with 

 arrows, the master of the youths, whow as an aged 

 and grey haired man, taking the marks in his hand, 

 first held them up as high as he could, then threw 

 them down to the ground. Upon which his scholars 

 showered down their lances and arrows upon them, as 

 if they had been putting an end to the lives of their 

 wounded enemies, and then went prancing up and 

 down by way of triumph. Among these young men 

 there were three, who fell from their horses ; one of 

 whom expiring as soon as he fell, lest a formal funeral 

 might disorder the rest, was immediately carried off 

 and buried. The other two being almost dead, were 

 likewise carried off for fear of marring the show. The 

 rest of these horsemen, that they might put an end to 

 the games, taking their lances in their hands, and 

 putting spurs to their horses, rode up to the marks 



