UPSET. 100 



quired of a yoimg fellow, a light weight with a 

 figure that seemed to suggest the saddle. 



''No. I suppose the Chief will give me the 

 mount on Bay Bessie ? " Heath replied. 



" And who are you going to tell off to 

 help you up this time ? " Eaughton inquired, 

 with a merrily mischievous twinkle in his 

 eyes. 



"Don't you chaff! " Heath answered good- 

 naturedly ; and seeing that something was meant, 

 Cunninghame inquired what it was. 



"It's an old story of Heath in the early days 

 of his martial career," Eaughton replied, smiling 

 at the hero of the anecdote, who was occupied 

 in peeling a walnut. " Heath was younger but 

 not taller, and his chargers were among the 

 tallest animals in the European cavalry. One 

 day the Duke went to Aldershot to review the 

 regiment of which our friend was an ornament. 

 He gave the word to dismount, and the men 

 were out of their saddles like eels." 



"I never saw an eel get out of a saddle," 

 Heath parenthetically observed ; but Eaughton 

 took no notice, and continued. 



" At least they all were except Heath, who, 

 with prudent forethought, reflected that if he 

 got down he would only have to get up again ; 

 and so, being an extremely artful youth, he 



