iSo SKETCHES IN THE HUNTING FIELD. 



the old horse stopped suddenly on the brink, shot 

 Tewters clean over his head into the water, and paused 

 with legs and neck outstretched as if to watch how his 

 " master" was going to get out again. 



This ended his hunting for the first day, and it was 

 some time before he reappeared, having meantime 

 undergone, as we afterwards learned, a severe course 

 of hurdles and bars in a riding school, and having 

 tumbled about over them with desperate perseverance 

 before he could be brought to understand that the com- 

 bination of balance and grip, though excellent in theory, 

 requires practice to give it due effect. 



A man cannot do himself any physical injury by talk- 

 ing nonsense, however, so Tewters takes advantage of 

 the circumstance and indulges himself freely. Before 

 his first appearance he had rarely been on a horse, and 

 never away firom the high road. He soon found out how 

 to take care of himself, and he forgot the exciting events 

 of his first day — forgot them so entirely that he never 

 even explained how it was that he bumped so awkwardly 

 over the hedge and finished in the water. His air of 

 superiority was quickly resumed, and in a very short 

 time he was as ready with a criticism on what was being 

 done, and an explanation of what people should do, as 

 though his career had been long and glorious. 



He was a student of sporting literature, and could 

 readily explain to you how to hold your gun, so that you 

 could not miss a shot, or how to do anything else; 

 though on the matter of jumping fences he was less 



