50 HARK FORRARD! 



the usual custom there is, to keep two or three 

 horses up during the day, saddled and bridled, 

 and hitched up as they call it, to a tree ; so that 

 if any member of the family wants a horse he 

 just unhitches one, jumps on to his back, and 

 canters away. 



' Saddle Vermont at once,' said Howson. 



Ray Danby put the bridle on while the 

 groom was saddling, and in less than a minute 

 rode out of the stable on the horse's back. Quite 

 a nice horse was he, bay, 15. 2 J, showing a lot 

 of quality, and with such a capital back and 

 short legs, that he looked well up to thirteen 

 stone over an English country. 



Ray cantered him down to a gate, opened 

 it, and set him going in the field beyond. 

 Swinging round to the right at the far end of 

 it, he came straight for some posts and rails that 

 divided the fields. Meanw^hile How^son, Acton, 

 and Reginald had strolled across the lawn to the 

 sunk fence which overlooked the fields beneath. 

 The horse behaved to perfection, jusb shortened 

 his stride as he got close to the fence, steadied 



