Ladies’ Edinburgh Magazine > Volume 5

A t Home and A broad. 449
ourselves for unsaddling him with our own hands, for fear
he should be tempted to roll, and then tethering his bridle
securely to a root of heather, whilst we enjoyed ourselves
rowing about upon the loch. It was getting late when we
came back to our landing-place, 'and looked round with
comfortable assurance for the pony that was to help us back
again. We could hardly believe our eyes when there was
no trace of him to be seen ! We even thought that we had
mistaken the place, till a more careful search discovered to
us the saddle reposing on the ground, and not far off, some
fragments of a broken bridle. We looked at each other
blankly ; we could find no words to express our injured feel¬
ings, and so, after one effort to lift the saddle from the
ground, we silently abandoned it to its fate, and plodded
home disconsolately, reflecting that our most useful pony
had probably, by this time, rejoined his wild brethren on the
other side of the island, and that days would elapse before
we could get him caught, and brought back into captivity.
Great was our joy, therefore, when, about two miles from
home, we came upon him unexpectedly, feeding quietly a good
quarter of a mile away from the road, with his back turned
to us. Remembering our former experiences, it seemed
quite vain to attempt catching him ourselves, and our only
hope, we thought, was to hurry home and send out some
men in pursuit; but the actual sight of the enemy who had
caused us so much annoyance, roused one of our party into
energy, and she gallantly proclaimed her intention of lierself
recapturing the truant. We watched her with deep interest
skilfully making a long round to keep out of the pony's
sight, and then with a sudden spring seizing firm hold of his
long shaggy mane. The astonished animal plunged and
kicked, and tried his best to shake off the intruder; but she
on her side was determined not to be beaten, and held fast by
her handful of rougli red hair. She had, it is true, to resign
herself to patient ffoundering through the boggiest of all
ground, but resolution prevailed in the long run; with one
hand on the mane, and the other guiding the recalcitrant
pony with a walking-stick, she brought lier captive home
finally in triumph, never letting him go for one moment, until
he was safely landed within the gates of our own domain.
Notwithstanding these little drawbacks, the ponies were
really a great consolation to us—indeed, it was owing to
them that we first discovered the most beautiful part of our
island.
We were riding through a field by the sea-shore, some-
No. 08.—OCTOBEE 1879. 2 F