'The horse is better than its looks.' 'Like many others,' he rejoined, a spark of resentment in his tone--'men as well as horses, M.de Marsac.

But What do you say?
Shall we canter on a little and overtake the others ?' Thinking it well to do so, I assented readily, and we started together.
We had ridden, however, no more than a hundred yards, and I was only beginning to extend the bay, when Fresnoy, slightly drawing rein, turned in his saddle and looked back.

The next moment he cried, 'Hallo! what is this?
Those fellows are not following us, are they ?' I turned sharply to look.

At that moment, without falter or warning, the bay horse went down under me as if shot dead, throwing me half a dozen yards over its head; and that so suddenly that I had no time to raise my arms, but, falling heavily on my head and shoulder, lost consciousness.
I have had many falls, but no other to vie with that in utter unexpectedness.

When I recovered my senses I found myself leaning, giddy and sick, against the bole of an old thorn-tree.