OUR SERVANTS OF STABLE AND HARNESS. 117 



ca,tch. This time lie vowed lie would secure it. The corral 

 reached, he found the fence down, and entering, looked 

 about him. There, beyond the stacks, in the moonlight, 

 reposed most of the cattle ; but nearer, and in the shadow, 

 he saw what he supposed to be the coveted fat calf. 



23. " Quietly he slipped up behind it, and rose on his 

 hind-feet to seize it, when suddenly a pair of heels flew 

 up from the ground. One of these hit Bruin directly 

 under the chin, breaking his jaw and teeth, and causing 

 him to see more stars than were at that moment visible 

 in the heavens ; the other broke his right fore-leg. The 

 patient burro then laid back his ears, and proceeded to 

 further maltreat the unfortunate and astonished bear ; and 

 with so much energy did he carry on the assault that, in 

 a short time, the wretched beast was chewed and kicked 

 into those ursine happy hunting-grounds, where, it is to 

 be presumed, the donkey brays not, and his long ears are 

 never seen. The bear being dead, the burro went back 

 to the stacks, and, as he munched Mr. Black's hay, medi- 

 tated on the mutability of affairs upon this mundane 

 sphere, and especially on the uncertainty of life." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

 OUR SERVANTS OF STABLE AND HARNESS. 



1. IN speaking of the horse, we can not but observe 

 the improvement of American horses of to-day over those 

 of a third of a century ago. Besides the thoroughbred 

 or race-horse, and the trotter of famous record, there 

 are becoming familiar among us the large draught-horses 

 from Normandy, the Clydesdale from Scotland, the 



