LAST MORNING EXERCISE 57 



light-hearted, and getting his hocks well under 

 him, he moves in such gallant style that you are 

 positive he is a better horse than he was last season. 

 Surely this cannot be the horse that gave you such 

 a cropper at the end of the fast twenty -five 

 minutes from Holly Berry Gorse last November. 

 Surely this is not the same animal that was as 

 " crisp as a biscuit " that time they rattled a stout 

 hill fox from Mudbury Slack to Slowley-on-the 

 Hill, and that you had to get to a hospitable 

 farmer's there to nurse him up a bit ere you could 

 get him home. You are sure that he is a much 

 better horse than he was then. Well, may you be 

 right ! Probably you are both wiser than you were 

 last season, and your horse will know better than 

 to "rush" a big fence when he is a little blown, 

 whilst you will know better than to bustle him 

 through heavy plough and against the hill after 

 you have gone for forty minutes at top pace. 

 Here's luck to the pair of you ! 



A hospitable farmhouse is now at hand, and 

 there are a couple of puppies out at walk, so a call 

 is made to see how they are getting on, and the 

 farmer, as good a sportsman as ever buckled on 

 spur, is eager to ask what the prospect is, and 

 " talk hunting," notwithstanding that it was all 

 talked over with him last market day, and his wife, 

 on hospitable thoughts intent, brings out eatables 

 and drinkables that are welcome after the long 

 ride, and talks with pride of the cup she won with 

 the puppies last season, and prophesies that she will 

 win again with Remus or Rarity, or both of them, 

 who are having a fine game with an old duster, 

 which they are speedily rendering useless for any 

 purpose. 



