My father accordingly drew up, to allow his companion to recover himself. After a time he again proposed moving forward.
“I’ll try, captain, I’ll try,” was the answer, “fortes fortuna juvat; but I wish that my steed could manage to move forward in a fashion less calculated to stir up the bile in my system, than that he has hitherto adopted.”
“A canter, or an easy gallop would suit you best,” answered my father; “try him with a touch of your whip behind, and give a gentle jerk with your left rein. Now, away we go!” and both steeds broke into a canter, exchanging it in a short time for a gallop.
“Very pleasant, very pleasant; I only hope that my nag won’t run away altogether,” said Mr Tidey.
“No fear of that,” answered my father; “keep a sufficiently tight hold on your rein, and he’ll go on well enough.”
As long as the ground was level his companion stuck on to admiration, but at length, coming to a rough part, his steed gave a bound over it, swerving on one side and shooting his rider, fortunately, into the middle of a bush, from which my father saw him struggling desperately to get free. Having caught the horse, my father pulled up.
“Nil desperandum! I’ll try again,” cried Mr Tidey; “but I should be obliged to the animal not to play me such another trick.”
“You must be prepared for such tricks,” answered my father, calling Peter to hold the horse.
The Dominie at once bravely remounted, and the party moved forward, but before long he was again pitched off into the bed of a stream which flowed by the road-side, happily without any other damage than a thorough wetting.
“It won’t do, captain, it won’t do!” he cried; “I must trust to my feet, and I may hope some day or other to reach your hospitable home. Give me directions how to find it, and let me have my gun and the ammunition you were kind enough to obtain for me, and I doubt not but that in due course I shall present myself at your gate; the exercise will dry my clothes, and my gun will afford me as much food as I require; I am accustomed to the vicissitudes of fortune.”