66 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



of the crop. The poor beast is frightened nearly out of 

 his wits. "Now chase after him with your whip. Oh, 

 horror! The fool has no sense." He was going to jump, 

 but lost his head ; his heart failed him ; took off too soon ; 

 struck the top of the bar with such force as to send it 

 flying, while the frightened horse came down on the 

 remaining bars, his fore legs on one side of the jump, his 

 hind legs on the other. 



Up go the bars again. A neighbour who has been 

 invited to see " the best horse that ever came out of 

 Canada " is looking on. The owner grows angry. " He 

 has got to jump it now, anyway." Meanwhile the poor 

 horse, with wild eyes and shaking flanks, is nearly paralysed 

 with fear. Thus the punishment, and so-called schooling, 

 goes on. The next day, a boy being put up, with a man 

 to help on, the poor horse jumps simply to escape the pun- 

 ishment. He hates the sight of a runway, and of his 

 master as well. 



See him in the hunting-field a month or two later, with 

 wild eyes and restless air. When hounds go away he is as 

 if crazy: rushes his fences; goes on; gets a thrashing for 

 refusing; jumps this fence; expects a thrashing and spurs at 

 the next as a part of the programme, but smashes into it. 

 For this he gets a whack as he lands. He grows worse 

 and worse. His owner can hardly hold him by the curb. 

 At the next fence he takes off too soon, landing on his head 

 on the opposite side, while his rider "goes to grass." 



In how likely a condition will this poor brute be to be- 

 come a good hunter ! It is a shame that man has the 

 power so to abuse and ruin the happiness of a dumb brute. 



