A STRAIGHT RIDER. 47 



such effective vigour that the horse absolutely stands 

 still for a moment, tries another buck, which is followed 

 by three sounding rib-binders, then gallops down the 

 course sideways, and jumps the hurdle with about 

 eighteen inches to spare. 



The folly of attempting to refuse the '^ river" was 

 distinctly impressed upon him when an early symptom 

 of insubordination displayed itself; and instead of being 

 drowned, Wynnerly, to the open-mouthed amazement 

 of Downing and his intimates, cantered in an easy 

 winner, by many lengths, from the two competitors who 

 had survived the course out of a field of seven. Down- 

 ing paid up with a rather rueful face, but the lesson he 

 learnt was worth a good deal of the money his experi- 

 ence cost him. 



Until I saw Wynnerly go I had never thought that 

 there was much in the recipe to make a good timber- 

 jumper — "take him out and give him two or three 

 heavy falls " — because I had imagined that one partner 

 to the operation would never have cared about trying 

 it. But Wynnerly tumbles about with a perfect good 

 temper quite charming to behold — when you are the 

 right side of an awkward obstacle. He is a living con- 

 tradiction to the cogency of the complaint urged to me 

 the other day, that when a man has learnt how to fall, 

 he has generally learnt how to avoid falling ; and so 

 nearly half his studies are useless. 



A short time ago, a stranger turned up at the meet, 

 and soon after we got away, comfortably cleared a 



