AFTER THE CUBS. 27 



are the other side," and he turns his horse's head 

 to a wide ditch, with a low fence on the take-off 

 side, which separates the field where we are from 

 the stuhble beyond. 



" Come on ! " he says persuasively, but his 

 friend declines, and no doubt wisely. The too 

 volatile youth who cannot curb his impetuosity 

 takes his horse by the head and sends him at the 

 jump ; the growth on the landing side deceives 

 the animal, which drops his hind legs in the 

 ditch and comes back, depositing his rider out of 

 sight, while the good horse, with a hard struggle, 

 recovers himself and clambers out. Out, too, 

 climbs our friend, dripping and muddy, but not 

 a whit crest-fallen — indeed, he laughs gaily as he 

 takes his horse from a boy who has got across in 

 an easier place and caught the truant steed. 



" What a horrid mess I'm in ! Never mind ! 

 Come up, horse ! " he cries, and putting him at 

 the ditch again, lands this time well over back 

 again. This little episode has caused our swell 

 friend's horse to whisk her tail a little, and low- 

 toned entreaties to her to "Be quiet ; hold still, 

 can't you ? " come from the corner where the 

 pink-clad rider, an anachronism here this morn- 

 ing, is still in retreat. 



"Look out! There he goes!" suddenly 

 exclaims one of the farmers, and he points to 



