That seemed to make the man more frantic than ever. He tried to force the horse at Frank, but the creature shyed at the wheel, so the rider did not accomplish his design of riding Merriwell down. With a muttered cry of anger, the man struck at Frank with his whip, and the lash fell upon the boy’s shoulder, so that he felt the sting through his coat. Then of a sudden, away leaped the horse, nearly unseating its rider. The girl followed. “Confound him,” muttered Merriwell, watching the retreating figure of the horseman. “May th’ Ould Nick floy away wid him!” cried Barney. “Did he hurrut yez, Frankie?” “No. If he had, I might be tempted to follow him. Let him go. It is plain he thinks he is a blue blood and owns the earth. What he really needs is a sound thrashing.” “An’ ye’re th’ b’y to give him thot, Frankie!” “I want no quarrel with him, though it did make me hot to see him lash that horse. Look at him now! See him bob in the saddle and saw at the reins! He will ruin the mouth of that horse, as well as spoil its temper. It’s a shame!” “So it is!” nodded Barney. The man and girl disappeared from view, and gradually the sound of the galloping horses died out in the distance. CHAPTER XIX—A RESCUE ON THE ROAD Frank and Barney rode along leisurely. “The mouth of a horse, until it is spoiled by bad usage, is a very delicate thing,” declared Frank. “As a common thing the mouth of a horse is ruined before the creature is seven years old. In order to preserve its natural delicacy, the right sort of a bit must be used and the reins must be handled gingerly. A heavy hand will ruin a good mouth in a short time, but not one man in fifty can drive with a light hand. The man who saws on the reins has no business in the saddle. If I owned that black horse it would take the price of the animal to induce me to let such a rider mount him for a ten-mile canter.” “But whin a crayther runs away, thin phwat’re yez goin’ to do?” asked the Irish lad. “Ye’ve got ter yank him up, me b’y.” “Not at all, Barney. Yanking and sawing are vile practices.” “Thin how do yez be afther holdin’ the b’aste?” “There is a trick in holding a horse with a light hand. Proof of this is that some of the most famous jockeys, although slight and weak, can control and hold horses which would run away with strong men, and could not be sawed or yanked into submission. The best jockeys are never seen leaning back in the saddle, pulling and sawing to hold their horses.” “Oi belave it’s roight ye are, me b’y,” nodded the Irish youth, after a moment, “although Oi niver thought av it before.”