224 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



" Oh, really ! " squeaked Travers, his eyes starting out of 

 his head with horror. " Oh, dear no, not if I know it ! And 

 did they really jump this beastly thing, I wonder? How 

 silly of them. I shall go round." And still sailing along at 

 an easy canter, he avoided the fences, and cut across to the 

 brook, where his adventurous career was effectually stayed — 

 there was no way round that — and amid the jeers of the 

 crowd standing at each side of it, he turned and walked his 

 horse back to the Stand again. 



Meanwhile, Ronald still held pride of place, his horse 

 striding out and jumping beautifully. Having been allowed 

 his own way in making running, he had not attempted his 

 favourite trick of bolting, and was now giving his owner a 

 comparatively pleasant ride. Over the posts and rails he led 

 by at least a dozen lengths, and had no sooner landed than 

 he was away again as quick as a rabbit, thus still further 

 increasing his advantage. Jack Dashwood began to try the 

 experiment of thinking two things at once — the first, that 

 Ronald might possibly slip the lot of them if they didn't look 

 out ; the second, that Marmion really must come back to his 

 horses before long — and he found himself rather in the 

 position of the gay young skater who tries to pass an advancing 

 figure on both sides at once. He didn't quite know whether 

 to go on after his leader, or to wait hoping he would soon have 

 enough of it. Finally he came to the conclusion that he 

 would go past Jackdaw, Francis I., and Jill — The Monk had 

 refused at the posts and rails — and thus get more within hail 

 of the chestnut ; this he did, and had managed to decrease 

 Ronald's lead to about eight lengths, just as he sawMarmion's 

 tail swish over the fence beyond the regulation ditch. The 



