, but there were friendly sticks to urge him on;
however, we soon got beyond the reasonable limits of help, and I tried
desperately to impress upon Tucker that I was going to be very severe:
for this purpose I flourished my stock-whip in a way that drove my own
skittish mare nearly frantic, and never touched Tucker, whom F---- was
dragging along by main force. At last I gave up the stock-whip, with
its unmanageable three yards of lash, and dropped it on the track, to be
picked up as we came home. I now tried to hit Tucker with my horse-whip,
but he flung his heels up in Helen's face the moment I touched him. I
was in perfect despair, very much afraid of a sudden swerve on my mare's
part sending us both down the precipice, and in equal dread of seeing
F---- pulled off his saddle by Tucker's suddenly planting his fore-feet
firmly together: F---- himself, with the expression of a martyr, looking
round every now and then to say, "Can't you make him come on?" and I
hitting wildly and vainly, feeling all the time that I was worse than
useless. At last the bright idea occurred to me to ride nearly alongside
of the fiendish Tucker, but a little above him on the hill, so as to be
able to strike him fairly without fear of his heels. As far as Tucker
was concerned this plan answered perfectly, for he soon found out he
had to go; but Helen objected most decidedly to being taken off the
comparative safety of the track and made to walk on a slippery, sloping
hill, where she could hardly keep her feet; however, we got on much
faster this way. Oh, how tired I was of striking Tucker! I don't believe
I hurt him much, but I felt quite cruel. When we came to the plain, I
begged F---- to let me lead him; so we changed, and there was no holding
back on the chestnut's part then; it must have been like the grass and
the stones in the fable. I never was more thankful than when that ride
was over, though its disagreeables were soon forgotten in the warm
welcome we received from our bachelor hosts, and the incessant
discussions about the next day's excursion.

We had finished breakfast by seven o'clock the following morning, and
were ready to start. Of course the gentlemen were very fussy about their
equipments, and hung themselves all over with cartridges and bags
of bullets and powder-flasks; then they had to take care that their
tobacco-pouches and match-boxes were filled; and lastly, each carried
a little flask of brandy or sherry, in case of