Steeplechase Riding 187 



highest place in a fence rather than follow 

 in the general scramble for the weak spot. 

 Even if actual collision is avoided, you may, 

 whilst in mid-air, find something down in 

 front of you, and in a crowded field it is often 

 best, if you are on a fairly safe fencer, to 

 push along in front, and so get out of the 

 way of the fallers and refusers. At the 

 same time, we can't all expect to get Eobert 

 Nightingall's luck, when, on one occasion in 

 a field of twenty, he fell when leading, 

 and never got touched by any of the odd 

 nineteen ! 



We all know that, in the case of a steeple- 

 chase accident, there is one thing which is 

 even better than " presence of mind," and 

 that is " absence of body " ; but when, in most 

 of the " tight places " a man gets into, neither 

 of these good things is available, the con- 

 sequences are apt to be disastrous ; and anent 

 the subject of absence of mind I heard a story, 

 some years ago, of a north-country Curate, 

 a very absent-minded man, though a good 

 sportsman, who wanted badly to go to 



