278 HORSEMANSHIP. 



along the ground out of his reach. Coolness in this 

 hour of peril, likewise serves the sportsman in an- 

 other way. Instead of losing hold of his reins, and 

 abandoning his horse to his own will, as the man 

 who is flurried at this time invariably does, he 

 keeps them in his hand, if not always, perhaps in 

 nine falls out of ten, and thus secures his horse. 

 It was the remark of a gentleman to whom we have 

 before alluded, and who {singulus in arte) was, from 

 his desperate system of riding, and despite of his 

 line horsemanship, known to have more falls than 

 any other man during the time he hunted Leices- 

 tershire, that nothing had so low an appearance as 

 that of a man running on foot over a field, calling 

 out, " Stop my horse." 



Before quitting this part of our subject, it may 

 be well to observe, that in cases of bad falls, parti- 

 cularly those afl'ecting the head, a large wine glass- 

 ful of equal parts of strong vinegar and water, drunk 

 by the sufl'erer, is found to be very efficacious, from 

 the revulsive powers of the vinegar acting on the 

 general circulation of the system. In countries 

 where there is much timber to be leaped, stiles par- 

 ticularly, calkins to the shoes of the hinder feet of 

 a hunter should never be omitted, as should those 

 feet slip under his body, the fulcrum, to spring 

 from, is lost, and a fall nearly certain. 



We have only a few words more to offer to the 

 young sportsman. Nature is invariably the standard 

 of excellence, and unless she have endowed you 

 with a cool head, a vigorous body, and a stout 

 heart, you wdll not long distinguish yourself in the 



