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CHAPTER VI. 



OVER BANK AND TIMBER. 



Of my early circus-riding performances, in which 

 I was my brother Campbell's pupil and assistant, I 

 have already written, and to the skill with horses 

 gained in them I believe 1 have more than once 

 owed my life in the field. Another favourite 

 amusement of my brother's in his young days was 

 breaking young horses, and whenever he was doing 

 this he not only fed and exercised them himself, 

 but always saddled and bridled them, so that they 

 should become thoroughly accustomed to him. He 

 never lunged a young one, for he maintained that 

 a colt taught in this way was apt to jump short 

 when he had a rider up, as he would not make 

 allowance for the weight on his back. Another 

 reason Campbell gave for his dislike to the practice 

 of lunging was, that if in a fall the horse got loose 

 he would almost invariably follow hounds if used 

 to taking his fences by himself If, on the other 

 hand, he had always been ridden at his fences, 

 he would seldom or never attempt them. Certain 

 it is that the horses my brother broke were almost 



