paring it with many similar ones, cannot help acknowledging how purely is the self-possession which so often wins success, the result of some slight and trivial association. My confidence in my horsemanship suggested moral courage of a very different kind, and I felt that Charles O'Malley curveting upon a thorough bred and the same man ambling upon a shelty were two and very dissimilar individuals.

"No chance of the Captain," said Mathew, who had returned from a reconnaissance upon the road," and after all it's a pity, for the day is getting quite favourable."

While the young ladies formed picquets to look out for the gallant militaire, I seized the opportunity of prosecuting my acquaintance with Miss Dashwood; and even in the few and passing observations that fell from her learned how very different an order of being she was from all I had hitherto seen of country belles. A mixture of courtesy with naïveté-a wish to please, with a certain feminine gentleness, that always flatters a man, and still more a boy that fain would be one -gained momentarily more and more upon me, and put me also on my mettle to prove to my fair companion that I was not altogether a mere uncultivated and unthinking creature like the remainder of those about me.

"Here he is, at last," said Helen Blake, as she cantered across a field, waiving her handkerchief as a signal to the Captain, who was now seen approaching at a brisk trot.

As he came along, a small fence intervened; he pressed his horse a little and as he kissed hands to the fair Helen, cleared it in a bound, and was in an instant in the midst of us.

"He sits his horse like a man, Mister Charles," said the old huntsman, "troth we must give him the worst bit of it."

Captain Hammersly was, despite all the critical acumen with which 1 canvassed him, the very beau idéal of a gentleman rider, indeed, although a very heavy man, his powerful English thoroughbred, showing not less bone than blood, took away all semblance of over weight; his saddle, well fitting and well placed; his large and broad reined snaffle; his own costume of black coat, leathers and tops, was in perfect keeping, and even to his heavy handled hunting-whip, I could find

nothing to cavil at.

As he rode up he

paid his respects to the ladies, in his usual free and easy manner, expressed some surprise, but no regret, at hearing that he was late, and never deigning any notice of Mathew or myself, took his place beside Miss Dashwood, with whom he conversed in a low and undertone.

"There they go," said Mathew, as five or six dogs, with their heads up, ran yelping along a furrow, then stopped, howled again, and once more set off together. In an instant all was in commotion in the little valley below

us.

The huntsman, with his hand to his mouth, was calling off the stragglers and the whipper-in following up the leading dogs with the rest of the pack. "They're found!-they're away!" said Mathew; and, as he spoke, a great yell burst from the valley, and in an instant the whole pack were off at speed. Rather intent that moment upon showing off my horsemanship than anything else, I dashed spurs into Badger's sides and turned him towards a rasping ditch before me; over we went, hurling down behind us a rotten bank of clay and small stones, showing how little safety there had been in topping instead of clearing it at a bound. Before I was well seated again, the Captain was beside me. Now, for it, then," said I, and away we went.What might be the nature of his feelings I cannot pretend to state, but my own were a strange melange of wild boyish enthusiasm, revenge, and recklessness. For my own neck I cared little-nothing; but as I led the way by half a length, I muttered to myself— "Let him follow me fairly this day, and I ask no more."

66

The dogs had got somewhat the start of us, and as they were in full cry, and going fast, we were a little behind. A thought therefore struck me, that by appearing to take a short cut upon the hounds, I should come down upon the river where its breadth was greatest and thus at one coup might try my friend's mettle and his horse's performance at the same time. On we went, our speed increasing, till the roar of the river we were now approaching was plainly audible. I looked half around, and now perceived that the Captain was standing in his stirrups, as if to obtain a view of what was before him; otherwise his countenance was calm and unmoved, and

not a muscle betrayed that he was not cantering on a parade. I fixed myself firmly in my seat, shook my horse a little together, and with a shout whose import every Galway hunter well knows, rushed him at the river. I saw the water dashing among the large stones, I heard its splash, I felt a bound like the ricochet of a shot, and we were over, but so narrowly, that the bank had yielded beneath his hind legs, and it needed a bold effort of the noble animal to regain his footing. Scarcely was he once more firm, when Hammersly flew by me, taking the lead, and sitting quietly in his saddle, as if racing. I know of nothing in all my after life like the agony of that moment; for, although I was far, very far, from wishing real ill to him, yet I would gladly have broken my leg or my arm if he could not have been able to follow me. And now there he was actually a length and a half in advance ; and worse than all, Miss Dashwood must have witnessed the whole, and doubtless his leap over the river was better and bolder than mine. One consolation yet remained, and while I whispered it to myself I felt comforted again. "His is an English marethey understand these leaps-but what can he make of a Galway wall?" The question was soon to be solved. Before us, about three fields were the hounds still in full cry; a large stone wall lay between, and to it we both directed our course together. Ha! thought I, he is floored at last, as I perceived that the Captain held his horse rather more in hand, and suffered me to lead "Now then for it!" so saying I rode at the largest part I could find, well knowing that Badger's powers were here in their element. One spring, one plunge, and away we were, galloping along at the other side.

Not so

the Captain; his horse had refused the fence,, and he was now taking a circuit of the field for another trial of it.

"Foundered, by Jove," said I, as I turned round in my saddle to observe him.

Once more he came at it, and once more baulked, rearing up at the same time, almost so as to fall backward.

My triumph was complete, and I again was about to follow the hounds; when, throwing a look back, I saw Hammersly clearing the wall in a most splendid manner, and taking a stretch

of at least thirteen feet beyond it. Once more he was on my flanks, and the contest renewed. Whatever might be the sentiments of the riders (mine I confess to,) between the horses it now became a tremendous struggle. The English mare, though evidently superior in stride and strength, was still overweighted, and had not besides that cat-like activity an Irish horse possesses; so that the advantages and disadvantages on either side were about equalized. For about half an hour now the pace was awful. We rode side by side, taking our leaps exactly at the same instant, and not four feet apart. The hounds were still considerably in advance, and were heading towards the Shannon, when suddenly the fox doubled, took the hill side, and made for Dangan. Now, then, comes the trial of strength, I said half aloud, as I threw my eye up a steep and rugged mountain, covered with wild furze and tall heath, around the crest of which ran, in a zig-zag direction, a broken and dilapidated wall, once the enclosure of a deer-park. This wall,

which varied from four to six feet in height, was of solid masonry, and would, in the most favourable ground, have been a bold leap. Here, at the summit of a mountain, with not a yard of footing, it was absolutely desperation.

By the time that we reached the foot of the hill, the fox, followed closely by the hounds, had passed through a breach in the wall, while Matthew Blake, with the huntsmen and whipperin, were riding along in search of a gap to lead the horses through. Before I put spurs to Badger, to face the hill, I turned one look towards Hammersly. There was a slight curl, half-smile, half-sneer upon his lip, that actually maddened me, and had a precipice yawned beneath my feet, I should have dashed at it after that. The ascent was so steep that I was obliged to take the hill in a slanting direction, and even thus, the loose footing rendered it dangerous in the extreme. At length I reached the crest, where the wall, more than five feet in height, stood frowning above me, and seeming to defy me. I turned my horse full round, so that his very chest almost touched the stones, and, with a bold cut of the whip and a loud halloo, the gallant animal rose, as if rearing, pawed for an instant to regain his balance, and then with a frightful struggle fell