184 In Scarlet and Silk 



If some good fairy would come down to 

 earth, and appearing before a young man 

 about to embrace the delightful, if perilous, 

 pursuit of steeplechase riding ; if the fay were 

 to offer him the choice of many gifts for his 

 protection, unhesitatingly would I counsel 

 him to take the gift of coolness. Not that 

 coolness is, in itself, l)y any means " the 

 whole armour of light," but that without it 

 all other qualities, such as pluck, good judg- 

 ment, seat, and hands, are rendered almost 

 nugatory. The plucky rider without dis- 

 cretion, the man whose seat and hands are 

 undeniable, liut who is apt to get in a flurry 

 the moment he finds himself in difiiculties, 

 had better "be wise in time," and refrain 

 from trying his luck and perilling his neck 

 by riding between the flags. One can hardly 

 go through the hunting season without see- 

 ing Courage take a man into many a "tight 

 place," and Coolness bring him out of it 

 with credit. 



Another most important part of the equip- 

 ment of a steeplechase rider — one that is 



