HUNTING. 107 



fence you will be pretty certain to come over 

 his head, for this is an ugly accident, and one 

 very Hkely to occur over recently-scoured 

 drains. You may, however, save both youself 

 and him, if you are smart in using your hands 

 in assisting him to recover his lost equili- 

 brium. 



In the event of your horse jumping short 

 with you, either from having taken off too 

 soon or from any other cause, and falling 

 upon you into a gripe, you may (when you 

 gain a httle experience) be able to stick to 

 him without leaving the saddle. The first 

 effort a fallen animal makes is to try to get 

 up ; therefore, if you are not quite thrown, 

 hold on to his mane, and as he struggles to 

 right himself make your effort to regain your 

 seat. Be guided, however, in doing this by 

 observing with a quick glance whether there 

 are thorns or brambles overgrowing the place, 

 for if there are, and your horse^ on recovering 

 himseH strides onward in the ditch, seeking a 

 place at which he may get out, your face will 

 undoubtedly suffer. This sort of thing once 

 occurred to me in the course of a day's 



