A Black Diamond. 51 



to his horse, leaving him to take care of 

 himself, and yet how very seldom does he 

 make a mistake ; and then you must remember 

 that a huntsman's horse has to do a good deal 

 more work than that of any of the field, and of 

 course gets a good deal more taken out of him. 

 Also remember that wind is streng;th. 



Well, I was not exactly afraid of giving 

 best pace across such ground as I have 

 described, because I rather fancy my nerves 

 were pretty good, and I never cared what the 

 fences were ; still I did not exactly enjoy it, 

 and always liked to feel my horse going well 

 collected, and within himself. Now I fancy 

 this dislike to going very fast over rough and 

 broken ground, or indeed at any time, comes 

 from having been carried nolens volens in such 

 a tearing, reckless fashion by the old pony ; in 

 fact, he used regularly to run away with me, so 

 that^is the whole and sole truth of the matter. 



I knew one man with the most perfect seat 

 and hands imaginable; he always turned out in 

 faultless dress and appointments, he rode first- 

 rate horses, and to look at the tout ensemble, 

 you would have thought he was a first flight 

 man : but he could not go across country ; the 



