The Horse 249 



hair, it was plain he had made a long journey, 

 and a hard one, impelled by that mysterious 

 force which stirs at the touch of spring to 

 send all dumb things home. 



A homing beast does not follow the track 

 by which he was taken away. Instead he 

 strikes straight across as the crow flies. 

 No matter how badly a rider may be lost, if 

 his beast is well wonted to either starting- 

 place or destination, all he needs do is to drop 

 rein, and let the beast take him somewhere. 

 At first the beast may be a little uncertain. 

 He turns his head, paws the least bit, sniffs 

 now this side, now that, shifts from one foot 

 to another in leading as he walks about, seems 

 to listen intently, then all at once neighs 

 shrill and long and strikes a course, maybe 

 fetching a compass to do -it. After it is struck, 

 he keeps straight on. If a fence or stream 

 traverses his way, he appears to know unerr- 

 ingly whether to go around it to right or 

 to left, or what ford to choose. He will 

 choose a ford in preference to plunging in the 

 stream at an untouched place, if there is a 

 ford within a mile. When at last he scents 

 home commonly a mile before it is in sight, 

 he stretches his neck to the utmost and gives 

 his keenest, most triumphant neigh. 



" An Arab is no Arab away from the des- 

 ert." The proverb is an exact statement of 



