.1 1. 



communication, lest it should be intercepted, forwarded to 

 Bruce a pair of spurs and a purse of gold. Bruce knew 

 that the spurs meant flight, and the purse, means for his 

 journey ; but the ground was covered with snow, and if he 

 were to fly, the conspirators could easily trace him. He 

 however got the blacksmith to invert his horse's shoes, so 

 that by the prints of the horse's feet upon the snow, it 

 appeared Bruce had returned to his castle instead of 

 having just left it. The ruse succeeded admirably, and 

 Bruce escaped to Dumfries a town about 8 miles from 

 his castle where he met the chief conspirator and slew 

 him. At the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce's horse 

 rendered him valuable service in several of the hand-to- 

 hand encounters in which he was on that day engaged. 

 Many instances are on record of monarchs and others 

 being saved through the swiftness, courage, or ingenuity 

 of the horse. Thus we are told, ist Book of Kings, 2Oth 

 chapter, and 2oth verse That "every one slew his man, 

 and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, and 

 Ben-hadad, the King of Syria, escaped on an horse." 



The horse has, from the time of the Egyptians to 

 the present day, been intimately associated with man in 

 all his undertakings ; a work, therefore which will treat 

 of "The Horse and its immediate surroundings" cannot 

 fail to be both interesting and useful, and such the 

 author trusts his work will prove. 



