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Gymnastics; or, Sports for Youth.

HORSE EXERCISE.

174. Now, my young horsemen, tho' I don't wish to see one of you exhibit in the amphitheatre, still I should like to see you masters of the Horse; therefore the more agile you are, and capable of vaulting into and over the saddle, the more command you will possess over the animal you ride. Now, by way of a preliminary exercise, again place your hands on the pommels and spring up so as to touch the saddle with the toes, the knees bent, as you perceive. Do this half a dozen times.

175. Again mount; but in all your mounting be particular as to the manner -do nothing slovenly-remember my former maxim. Now place your hands close together on the front pommel, thumbs outside, and with arms stiff, ben a little forward, and raise the body as high as possible from the saddle. Repeat this again and again.

176. The power of sustaining yourself on one hand and arm, if only for a moment, is essentially necessary to be acquired. Suppose, while in the act of mounting the real horse, he should start forward and throw your foot out of the stirup, while your left hand may happen to be on the front pommel-a second of time, if you're strong enough in this arm, will suffice to place you in your saddle, instead of seating you under it, in no very comfortable position. Again then, hands on pommels-spring up— rest awhile-throw the right leg over the horse-lifting the right hand to let the leg pass over the back pommel into the saddle bringing down the hand quickly on the pommel-keep the leg perfectly horizontal over the saddle for a timenow throw the leg back again, observing the same precautions. Do this several times without coming to the ground.

177. Do as I told you in the 175th Exercise, and when you have lifted yourself high enough from the saddle, keep firm hold of the pommel, and swing the body backward and forward. You will find a little difficulty perhaps at first, but you will soon accomplish it. You must

not forget to keep the knees perfectly member to dismount properly, as I clearstraight. ly explained to you in No. 172.

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Before showing you another exercise, let me remark, that in sitting on the horse, the thighs should press the sides of it so as to leave a small space between the body and the saddle, just sufficient for the open hand to pass between them. I will now only request you to perform the No. 176 on the other side of the horse with the left leg.

181. You see I have not quite exhausted my stock, but have lots of exercises in store for you, that is, if you are inclined to practise them. Shall I go on? Yes. Well then, again spring up, with hands on pommels; but instead of coming against the side of the horse, throw both legs over the horse behind, taking especial care to come down on your toes, with your face towards the saddle. You see I am quite at home at it.

182. In all these exercises which I have given you, you must understand 180. Here is an exercise we used to that they are to be commenced on the call the Lady's Leap, and one which I near or left side of the horse, unless I think is easily performed. With hands show you otherwise, as in this case; for on pommels, spring up at the same time, I wish you now to perform the Lady's turning the right side to the horse, and Leap on the off side, throwing of course throw the right leg over in front of the the left leg over the saddle instead of body, lifting up the left hand to let the the right. leg pass, but keeping firm hold of the 183. back pommel with the right hand. Re- agility.

Now for a specimen of your
Let's see if you can clear the

SPORTS OF YOUTH.-HORSE EXERCISE.

243

saddle. Hands on pommels as beforespring, and instead of one leg as in the Lady's Leap, throw both horizontally over in front-like this, so as to come to the ground on the toes, with face towards the head of the horse.

184. The left arm will now be brought into action, to strengthen which, I particularly wish. Therefore, go through the No. 181 again, only begin on the off side, and come down on the near side.

185. As you have now become tolerably pliable in all your limbs, I think you will now find but little difficulty in accomplishing an exercise I am about to show you, and which we used to term the Scissors, from the appearance of the legs when crossed. When mounted, swing the body as I directed you in No. 177, and while swinging backward cross the legs, at the same time turning the body so as to sit in the saddle, face towards the tail of the horse. Remark when in crossing, the right leg goes over the left, you must turn your body to the right side, and when in crossing, the left leg goes over the right, turn the body to the left side.

186. Let us vary the exercises a little, and have a sort of leap-frog. Take a run of about half a dozen yards towards the horse from behind, and jump on the end of it-spread out your legs so as to keep them clear of the sides of the horse, as you did in No. 175—and take the trouble to walk to the other end on your hands, and then spring off.

187. Try No. 183 with the left arm, and from the off side-and do not think left hand and arm; as I have already I give you too many exercises with the said, that to be able to use the left hand and arm as readily as the right is a great acquisition. I have heard more than one

medical man wish he could use the lancet

with both hands with equal facility.

188. This exercise Voelker used to call Der Mill; it tried our arms a little. Spring, if you can, on the horse behind the saddle, without placing the hands on the back, by taking a short run from behind-then put the left hand on the front, and right hand on the back pommel.

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Now raise the body a little, and swing
yourself round so as to come on the neck
of the harse, and face the front pommel.
Now put the right hand on the front,
and the left hand on the back pommel,
and swing yourself round on the back of
the horse, thus making a complete circle.

throwing the legs between your arms over the saddle, remaining suspended on your hands, as we did on the horizontal pole; the backs of your thighs leaning against the opposite side of the horse, but without the feet touching the ground. Now draw up your legs again with a spring, and bring them back to the first position.

189.

You know when I threw both legs over the horse, in No. 181, I kept my feet close together; now see if, while going over, you can spread your legs open. First spring up as you stand by the side, then try it with a run towards the horse.

for this time, my boys, to perwhen you have Our plan of inpages a month,

I will now dismiss you and let me beg of you, severe in these exercises time from your studies. troducing three or four and giving such fine fat diagrams, has met with many a hurra from the gymnasium and private exercise yard. I shall finish off the horse next month, then go

190. Now for a grasshopper exercise.
When you have sprung up, arms sraight,
throw your legs back, and quickly draw
up your knees close to your chest, and to the Leaping.

Quintin Harewood and his Brother Brian.

CHAPTER II.

Boat upset on the River. Brian's impetuosity. Hag-
glestone Crag. Quintin saves the lives of two of
the drowning sufferers. Quintin and Brian take

leave of their mother, and go to Paris to their sick
father. Death of their father. Paris. Gaming-
table in the Palais Royal. The grey-mustachoed

den, which was sweeping along with unusual force in a stream three times its accustomed breadth, and I to gaze on a foaming torrent that was forcing its impetuous course through the rifted crags of a neighboring rock.

Fashionable. Fatal disaster. Quintin sends a pac- • Run! Run, Quintin, run!' cried my ket to his mother, and a drawing to Helen Archer, brother, as he passed me at full speed,

and afterwards sails with Brian for Philadelphia.

BRIAN and I had separated for a moment, he to get a good sight of the E

shouting as loudly as he could raise his voice. In a moment I was hard in pursuit, and not a minute had elapsed before

river.

ADVENTURES OF QUINTIN HAREWOOD.

245

we both had arrived at the brink of the stream, once more plunged into the torrent, and succeeded in getting to some Brian had been standing for some time distance from the shore; but again he on a craggy rock that stood up some fif- was overcome, and had I not, at the critteen or twenty feet above the level ical moment when he was floating by the ground, when he saw a boat that he had jutting point, caught hold of him, he been watching suddenly upset. With must have been overwhelmed by the headlong haste he descended the crag, flood. As it was, he lay for a season shouting, as I have already said, 'Run! exhausted on the brink of the river. Run, Quintin, run!'

The boat was in the full stream, bottom uppermost, and two or three persons, one of them a female, were in the river, evidently struggling for their lives. Brian made no pause, but leapt at once into the running waters, buffeting his way with determined resolution.

I saw at a glance that it was impossible to render the least assistance to the drowning sufferers in the part where they were, for the stream was too rapid and turbulent to be stemmed by a human arm. Brian, in a little time, was carried down by the force of the waters, till he floated within his depth. For a moment he quitted the river and stood upon the shore.

The sudden bend in the river, a little lower down, and a jutting point, gave me the hope that the drowning party might be borne: within our reach. I stood therefore, after stripping off part of my clothes, reserving my strength for a resolute effort, in case my expectations were well founded. The suspense was dreadful.

Brian, though he had already found himself unequal to contend with the

By this time two of the strugglers with the stream had been brought within a little of the shore; one of them was evidently a swimmer. When he came within his depth he recovered his feet, and waded much exhausted to the shore. The man was a waterman, the owner of the upset boat. The other had sunk more than once; but he rose again near me, when I plunged from the point and succeeded in laying hold of him, and bringing him to land.

The third sufferer had lost all consciousness, and would no doubt have disappeared long before, had she not been partly buoyed up with her clothes. It was well for me that I had reserved my strength, for she was carried farther from the point than her fellow sufferers. With a confident heart and strong arm I plunged to her rescue.

I caught hold of her robe, but what was my agony when I felt the part that I held tearing asunder at no great dis tance from my hand! I made a desper ate effort, and took a firmer grasp, but was carried past the jutting point, and hurried along with my drowning com panion toward the middle of the river.

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