24 HOUND AND HORN 



he formed a sort of crush — a narrow pen of two palings 

 ended by a stiff prickly holly bush — inside of which 

 enclosure he pushed her, and swung confidently into 

 the saddle. This first experiment was more than suc- 

 cessful, for the mare backed against the bush and 

 then shot forward so suddenly and with such force, 

 that she jerked her rider behind the saddle, and then 

 getting a slight chuck in the mouth she got up on 

 end and slid the astonished horseman not ungrace- 

 fully over her tail, to the unconcealed delight of 

 the few privileged onlookers. The ^'jade" got clear, 

 and after cutting up the tennis lawn, was only cap- 

 tured at the stable door. The gentling method was 

 taken up again, and proved successful, for she was 

 soon pronounced *^ whip quiet," and ^^ steady to 

 mount." 



It was about this time that Billy made a half- 

 hearted approach to pass on the '^ Clinker " to the 

 Hunt stable, at a profit of course. 



*^Are you sure you have plenty horses to start 

 with, old man ? " he began. '* These hill fellows are 

 terrible keen, and even two days a week, with an 

 occasional five days a fortnight, will take some 

 doin' in that country. I hear they are accustomed 

 to hounds drawing on till dark, whatever they may 

 have done in the mornin'. 'Twould never do to 

 start with too few." 



I explained that I was in the enviable position 

 of only being required to horse myself, that my first 

 whip found his own horses, and that the second 

 whip really did second horseman's work only, as 

 there was never any trouble with hounds not 

 coming on or being left out ; that five horses 



