' SAM.' 331 



England, and has corroborated the absolute truth of 

 the little histories : 



' " Sam " was a handsome, flighty, high-spirited 

 roan, with black points. He had carried his master 

 faithfully during some ten years of arduous travelling, 

 through rivers and forests, over mountains and 

 trackless country, such as people in England would 

 never dream of, much less think of riding over. 



' So far, all had gone well, but on one unlucky 

 day " Sam " lost a shoe, and before any blacksmith's 

 forge could be reached, he had gone so lame, that it 

 was necessary to turn him out to grass. His owner, 

 Mr. N., procured a substitute, and "Sam" was left for 

 several months undisturbed in his paddock. 



' At last, Mr. N. caught him, and rode him some 

 eight or ten miles to the blacksmith to have him shod, 

 as a preliminary to resuming the usual day's work. 

 They reached the forge comfortably enough, and the 

 horse was re-shod. But they had scarcely proceeded 

 a couple of hundred yards, when " Sam " fell dead 

 lame, his head bobbing up and down, and his whole 

 demeanour indicating the acutest agony. 



' Of course, common humanity required that the 

 day's expedition should be given up, and there was no 

 choice for Mr. N. but to retrace his steps. But, 

 Miracle ! No sooner was " Sam's" head turned home- 

 wards, than the lameness vanished. 



