12 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



antagonist to the ground with a blow from his 

 fore-hoof, and completed the victory by seizing 

 the lion's throat with his teeth. When Roostem 

 awoke, he \vas more enraged than surprised 

 that Reksh, unaided, should have risked such an 

 encounter. ' Hadst thou been slain,' said he, 

 ' how should I have accomplished my enter- 

 prise?" 7 



This story produced a grand discussion 

 some doubted the power of the horse to strike 

 such a creature as a lion to the earth. Went- 

 worth quoted different books of travels to prove 

 that horses always trembled with instinctive 

 dread at the sight of a lion; and even Mr. 

 Maude, highly as he estimated the courage of 

 a horse, did not seem to think him capable of 

 such a noble effort. I thought to myself that it 

 was perfectly suited to the other fabulous adven- 

 tures of Roostem. 



My uncle waited to hear everybody's opinion, 

 and then said, " I will tell you a singular cir- 

 cumstance which an old friend of mine witnessed, 

 when he was at the King of Sardinia's court, at 

 Turin, about forty years ago. Perhaps it may 

 convince some of my young sceptics, not of the 

 truth of Roostem' s exploits, but at least of the 

 strength and spirit of horses. The king had a re- 

 markably fine charger, but so untameably vicious, 

 that, after having killed two grooms, he was 

 ordered by his majesty to be shot. It was sug- 



