58 FOLLOW MY LEADER. 



high, obstructed our progress. There was no 

 choice but to charge it at once, although the land- 

 ing was not over agreeable, right in the midst of 

 the branches of the prickly spruce; but after 

 working our way through these, we had a stiff 

 blackthorn hedge to encounter, with bank and 

 double ditch, or a high five-barred gate, with thorns 

 worked in between the top rails. For a moment 

 both of us were puzzled, seeing no place for a 

 horse to force himself through the fence, jumping 

 it being quite out of the question. 



" How are we to get out ?" asked the Squire ; 

 " we are pounded here.'' 



*' I shall take the gate," was my reply. 



" You cannot/' said he ; " there is no room to go 

 at it." 



Without another word, I sprang from my saddle, 

 and finding the gate nailed up, got on to the top 

 bar, elbowing the thorns back on either side, 

 and having cleared a space sufficient to get over, 

 I called my horse to follow me, which he im- 

 mediately did, by vaulting over at a standing 

 leap. 



" Well done !" exclaimed the Squire, " you beat 

 me there ; my horse won't follow, so I must go 

 lower down." 



By performing this trick so cleverly, my horse 



