Part 22 (2/2)
Thou couldst never ride her! Tut! I would be loath to kill thee”
”Ride her!” I cried, with the bravest scorn, for she looked so kind and gentle; ”there never was a horse upon Exmoor but I could tackle in half an hour Only I never ride upon saddle Take those leathers off of her”
He looked at me with a dry little whistle, and thrust his hands into his pockets, and so grinned that I could not stand it And Annie laid hold of hed, and approved her for doing so And the worst of all was--he said nothing
”Get away, Annie Do you think I'ood sir? Only trust me with her, and I will not override her”
”For that I will go bail, round is soft to fall upon after all this rain Now co es And the mellow straill be softer for thee, since pride oing up to the house Tous ismare, Winnie”
What a fool I reat highway blood mare, the strawberry
Already her fame was noised abroad nearly as rew tenfold, but fear came at the back of it
Not that I had the smallest fear of what the mare could do to lory of sitting upon her seereat for me; especially as there were rumours abroad that she was not a ave histhing, flowing over with life, yet dropping her soul to a higher one, and led by love to anything, as the manner is of such creatures, when they knohat is best for thehtly upon the straw, because it had soft ain
”Up for it still, boy, be ye?” Tous stopped, and the ly
”Is she able to leap, sir? There is good take-off on this side of the brook”
Mr faggus laughed very quietly, turning round to Winnie so that she ht enter into it And she, for her part, seemed to know exactly where the fun lay
”Good tumble-off, you mean, my boy Well, there can be small harm to thee I am akin to thy faet up,” said I, waxing wroth, for reasons I cannot tell you, because they are too s I will try not to squeeze her ribs in, unless she plays nonsense with us was up on hisup all the while, and Bill Dadds, and half a dozen others Toard for h repute of his h my defiance, and stupid ways, here was I in a duello, and th yet, andof this occurred to him, even in his wrath with me, for he spoke very softly to the filly, who now could scarcely subdue herself; but she drew in her nostrils, and breathed to his breath, and did all she could to answer hiently down on the h” Then he turned the saddle off, and I was up in a an at first so easily, and pricked her ears so lovingly, and ht upon her, that I thought she knew I could ride a little, and feared to show any capers ”Gee wugg, Polly!” cried I, for all the -off ti, Polly, and shohat thou be'est edhis hat up
Nevertheless, she outraged not, though her eyes were frightening Annie, and John Fry took a pick to keep hi forearrievously, and beginning to sweat about it Then her ave a shrill, clear whistle, when her ears were bent towards hi up like whalebone, and her hind legs co under her, and I knew that I was in for it
First she reared upright in the air, and struck me full on the nose with her comb, till I bled worse than Robin Snell made me; and then doith her forefeet deep in the straw, and with her hind feet going to heaven
Finding me stick to her still like wax, for my mettle was up as hers was, away she fleith me swifter than ever I went before or since, I trow
She drove full head at the cob wall--”Oh, Jack, slip off!” screaht to crush her, and ground ainst it ”Dear me!” I cried, for my breeches were broken, and short words went the furthest--”if you kill ate at a leap, knocking ht over a quick-set hedge, as if the sky were a breath to her; and away for the water meadohile I lay on her neck like a child, and wished I had never been born
Straight away, all in the front of the wind, and scattering clouds around her, all I knew of the speed we htful flash of her shoulders, and her mane like trees in a te away, and the air left far behind us, and my breath came and went, and I prayed to God, and was sorry to be so late of it
All the long shile, without power of thought, I clung to her crest and shoulders, and was proud of holding on so long, though sure of being beaten Then in her fury at feeling me still, she rushed at another device for it, and leaped the ater-trough sideways across, to and fro, till no breath was left in hs took ot hold ofa fish, till I longed to give it up, thoroughly beaten, and lie there and die in the cresses
But there came a shrill whistle from up the home hill, where the people had hurried to watch us, and the mare stopped as if with a bullet, then set off for ho as smoothly and silently I never had drearaceful, and a over the flowers, but swift as the suth was all spent, and no tiate like a bird, I tugus said, good-naturedly; for all were now gathered round , andfallen upon my head, which is of uncommon substance); ”not at all bad work, ht not to see you stick on so long--”
”I should have stuck on er, sir, if her sides had not been wet
She was so slippery--”