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RECREATION 



BUT ALAS ! WITH MY THOUGHT AND THE HORSE'S LEAP CAME ANOTHER UPRISING. 



Belle ! She had never been unman- 

 ageable before. Up she reared, then 

 down, and whirling wildly round and 

 round, just escaped tripping over the 

 tent guy-ropes. I righted her, but 

 immediately she began repeating this 

 strange performance. The third time 

 she stepped gaily out, omitting to 

 pose as an upright; took two gentle 

 lopes, again whirled, but in perfect 

 time to the music. Then two more 

 lopes and a whirl and, — mercy me ! I 

 understood. Belle was waltzing to 

 the gavotte ! Yes, surely, and with 

 never a mistake. After every two-step 

 came a whirl. My memory recalled 



a similar vision at a riding-school ex- 

 hibition. Seeing is believing. Alas! 

 in my case it was feeling is believing, 

 for I no sooner recovered from one 

 dizzy spell than it was time for 

 another. Now we had reached the 

 colonel's tent, and oh ! those deadly 

 guy-ropes. Vainly I shouted to the 

 orderly in front; my voice was no 

 match for those brass instruments. 

 Belle having found her terpsichorean 

 dimensions, was blissfully regardless 

 of my commands; waltz she would 

 and did, the entire length of the line 

 (in the rear) and back again, seem- 

 ingly under control of but one thing 



