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CHAPTER XI.
MEN, MONKEYS, HORSES, AND BOYS.
MR. HONDA JIRO'S father, like
Mr. Rai, was
an officer in the seryice of the lord of Eehizen.
His office was that of equerry, or superintendent
of the horses belonging to the daimio and his
call the clan.
retainers, whom together we may
Under Mr. Honda were the six or eight ridingmasters
who taught the young gentlemen the art of
riding, which was rather different from ours. The
samurai rider, when attired, had on a helmet or hat of
lacquered pasteboard bound over his chin, and long
knit gloves on his hands. He mounted his horse
and sat with his knees almost on a level with his
thigh. The stirrups were very high, as if the rider
were afraid of falling. Seizing the woven silk reins
he jerked up the horse's nostrils high in the air and
grasped the reins by a loop close to the horse's head,
within eight inches of the bit. When he wished to
start the horse he flapped against his side with the
ponderous stirrups. Trotting was almost unknown.
A sudden start and run at full speed, until the horses
were almost exhausted, were favorite amusements.
In Yedo and other large cities there were numerous
riding-courses where the animals were kept for
hire, either in the course or for outside distances, and
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