Before he
could straighten himself in the saddle, the horse roared and came down
on rigid forelegs, yet by a miracle Woodbury clung, sprawled down the
side of the monster, to be sure, but was not quite dismounted.
Another pitch of the same nature would have freed the stallion from his
rider beyond doubt, but he elected to gallop full speed ahead the length
of the arena, and during that time, Woodbury, stunned though he was,
managed to drag himself back into the saddle. The end of the race was a
leap into the air that would have cleared a five-bar fence, and down
pitched the fighting horse on braced legs again. Woodbury's chin snapped
down against his breast as though he had been struck behind the head
with a heavy bar, but though his brain was stunned, the fighting
instinct remained strong in him and when the stallion reared and toppled
back the rider slipped from the saddle in the nick of time.
Fourteen hundred pounds of raging horseflesh crashed into the sawdust;
he rolled like a cat to his feet, but at the same instant a flying
weight leaped through the air and landed in the saddle.
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