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Another case I came across in Ireland. I was 

 put on the horse with the idea of seeing how he 

 would go with me. Nothing was said about his pul- 

 ling proclivities; he was a most perfect type of 

 fourteen stone hunter, full of quality, and his 

 manners were apparently good. Yet some instinct 

 warned me that, once set going, he would prove a 

 real handful. Fortunately, on coming away with 

 their first fox, hounds ran along some very deep 

 meadows beside a road. Nobody went into them, 

 except the servants, who, coming out of cover with 

 hounds, could not avoid doing so. 



This, I thought, is a chance to prove if my 

 instinct is right or not. So I turned my horse, 

 and he bounded out of the lane, cleverly but with 

 extraordinary resolution. Then he got going in 

 earnest, and I soon knew I had gauged him correct- 

 ly. At the third fence we had closed up, and a 

 whipper-in was in front of me; It seemed certain 

 he would be well into the next field before I 

 reached the fence, but, as a precaution, I took 

 a strong steadier at my horse. The only result 

 of the attempted steadier was a rush which one 

 might call terrific and which took me right on 

 to the whipper-in. I caught his horse on the 

 quarter and sent that careful animal flying off 

 the top of the bank at a pace he had not contem- 

 plated. Luckily no actual harm was done, and 

 neither of us fell. Soon afterwards we checked, 

 and I managed to pull up. The owner of my free- 

 going mount showed no anxiety to change, but I 

 was quite firm, and threatened to let the horse 

 go and walk home if he did not. So he reluctant- 

 ly climbed on to the resolute one, and in due 

 course disappeared into space, while I enjoyed 

 an excellent hunt on his horse. 



Now, the curious thing about that horse was 

 that many first-class men tried to ride him, in- 

 cluding steeplechase jockeys who did not mind at 

 what pace he did his walls and banks, yet no one 

 succeeded, except one inexperienced lad, for whom 

 he went delightfully. The lad, unfortunately, 

 could not buy him. The result was, a horse up 



