30 DUN HORSES 



the sole of a creaking boot. They should be 

 petted like operatic tenors, and indeed there 

 are no animals in the world who improve 

 so rapidly in response to decent treatment. 



There is a legend that the ass who carried 

 the Cross of our Lord Christ upon the way to 

 Calvary had ever afterwards its shadow on his 

 back, still worn by the African breed as a 

 special badge of honour. It is called the en- 

 durance mark, and this with the same leg bands 

 is the special brand of the Dun horse of Asia. 



The Dun Horse. It was in the Yellow- 

 stone Park that I paid ten dollars for a thirteen 

 hand pony called Buck, a bright Dun with the 

 endurance cross and leg bands. Below the 

 black knees and hocks he w^ore white stockings, 

 and had black mane, tail and points. He 

 taught me the real protective colour for short 

 grass. His upper and lower body lines were 

 the curves of prairie ridges, while the limbs 

 were so cross-coloured that the upright lines 

 became invisible, save when he moved, at 

 about two hundred yards. It was lucky that 

 he always came at my call, because so far as 

 my poor eyesight went, he was lost to me every 

 evening so soon as I sent him off to graze. His 

 wall eye and game knee were acquired from 

 meeting Christians, but an odd trick of carry- 



