TOLD AFTER MESS 339 



stirrups — to ease our horses, bien entendu — not to 

 look at the forbidding obstacle in front of us, oh 

 dear no ! a post and rails, with no top bar broken 

 anywhere, and what I hear a groom behind me 

 calling a ' narsetty ' great ditch on the landing side. 

 Our gallant first Whip crams his horse at it, and but 

 for the animal's forgetfulness in leaving both hind 

 legs the wrong side, would have led over in great 

 style ; but 'tis an ill wind which blows nobody any 

 good, and those legs break the top rail for us. 

 Did I follow the Whip over a bit close ? Well, 

 I hope not ; verdict, ' not guilty, but don't do 

 it again.' Two flights of hurdles and a ploughed 

 field bring us to the main road. We jump into, and 

 out of, this, leaving two of our number as ' book- 

 makers ' — i.e., ' laying on the field.' On we go again 

 over about three miles of pretty hunting country, with 

 nice, plain-sailing fences ; then comes a stile, at which 

 one refusal and two * downers ' still further reduces 

 the field ; and, with another flight of hurdles sur- 

 mounted, we come to a check. Oh, the shaking of 

 tails and blowing of nostrils ! the ' soaping ' of 

 reins and the sweat on the foam-flecked bodies of 

 the poor gees ! 



" ' Horses seem to have had about enough of it, 

 don't you think so ? ' said a man who had pulled up 

 just alongside of me. 



