HUNTING. 101 



then I am not a beginner, and I am sur- 

 mising that you are. Keep about six yards 

 behind your leader ; follow him unswervingly, 

 and jump after him, but not on him. Always 

 wait till he is well out of the way before you 

 take the fence in his wake. Your horse will 

 jump more readily having the example of 

 his before him, but I cannot too well impress 

 upon you the necessity of allowing him to get 

 w^eli over before you attempt to follow. One 

 of the ugliest falls I ever got in my life 

 was through riding too close upon my leader. 

 The run was a very hot one, and only four of 

 us were going at the time. None, in fact, but 

 those who had first-rate horses had been able 

 to live through it. We came to a wide braucL 

 •of a river, swollen by recent rains. My pilot, 

 going a rare pace, jumped it safely ; I came 

 too fast upon him. My horse's nose struck 

 his animal's quarters, which, of course, threw 

 my gallant little mount off his balance, and 

 prevented his landing. He staggered and 

 fell back, and we both got a drowning ! I 

 was dragged up with a boat-hook, the horse 

 swam on until he found a place to scramble 



