RIDING RECOLLECTIONS 



every yard of which they make good, with noses 

 down and sterns working as if from the concen- 

 trated energy of all their faculties, till suspicion 

 becomes certainty, and they lay themselves out 

 once more, in the uncontrolled ecstasy of pursuit. 

 Now if you are a mile behind, you miss all 

 these interesting incidents, and lose, as does 

 your disappointed hunter, more than half the 

 amusement you both came out to enjoy. The 

 latter, too, works twice as hard when held back 

 in the rear, as when ridden freely and fearlessly 

 in front. The energy expended in fighting with 

 his rider would itself suffice to gallop many a 

 furlong and leap many a fence, while the moral 

 effect of disappointment is most disheartening 

 to a creature of such a highly -strung nervous 

 organisation. Look at the work done by a 

 huntsman's horse before the very commencement 

 of some fine run, the triumphant conclusion of 

 which depends so much on his freshness at the 

 finish, and yet how rarely does he succumb to 

 the labour of love imposed ; but then he usually 

 leaves the covert in close proximity to his friends 

 the hounds, every minute of his toil is cheered by 

 their companionship, and, having no leeway to 

 make up he need not be overpaced when they 

 are running their hardest, while he finds a 

 moment's leisure to recover himself when they 

 are hunting their closest and best. In those 



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