RIDING RECOLLECTIONS 



with his eye the spot where he means to take off. 

 A strong pull, a steady hand, the energy of a 

 mile gallop condensed into a dozen strides, and 

 the stream passes beneath him like a flash. " It's 

 a rum one ! " he murmurs, standing up in his 

 stirrups to ease the good horse, while one follower 

 exclaims " Bravo ! Rapid. Go along, old man ! " 

 as the speaker plunges overhead ; and another, 

 who lands with a scramble, mutters, " D — n him, 

 I shall never catch him ! my horse is done to a 

 turn now!' 



The King, his owner thinks, is well worth the 

 ^350 that has not been paid. The horse has 

 caught his second wind, and keeps striding on, 

 strong and full of running, though temperate 

 enough now, and, in such a country as this, a 

 truly delightful mount. 



There is no denying that our friend is a capital 

 horseman, and bold as need be. " The Kino" of 

 the Golden Mines," with a workman on his back, 

 can hardly be defeated by any obstacle that the 

 power and spring of a quadruped ought to sur- 

 mount. He has tremendous stride, and no less 

 courage than his master, so fence after fence is 

 thrown behind the happy pair with a sensation 

 like flying, that seems equally gratifying to both. 

 The ground is soft but sound enough ; the leaps, 

 though large, are fair and clean. One by one 

 they are covered in light, elastic bounds, of 



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