238 LOOSE HORSES ON THE MARCH. 



his work, if he can yet the same animal while running 

 off at top speed, will make his way back to camp and 

 rejoin the rest, [if he is able to do so. When animals run 

 right away and get lost, therefore, it is usually after 

 being stampeded and frightened out of their senses by 

 some circumstance which has occurred ; they then soon 

 lose their sense of direction, and, like many a man, 

 wander off they know not whither, and so are lost. 



A loose horse or ox, which has been some time 

 out with a party on the plains, will keep up. with the 

 caravan and travel along with it, of its own accord, 

 quite safely. We have seen the same horse do so 

 for weeks together ; it merely had a twisted band of 

 dry hide round its neck, by which it could be caught 

 when required, otherwise it was quite free to follow 

 its own devices, and if it stopped behind a short 

 distance to feed, it would gallop up to the party again, 

 as soon as it saw the distance between them and him 

 increasing. 



So a sick or dying animal will come up to his master's 

 tent again and again in search of help and relief from 

 his sufferings, and if driven away, unless he is secured, 

 w r ill in the end die at his door. This is no flight of 

 fancy: did time and space permit we could furnish 

 abundant evidence that such things are of constant 

 occurrence. 



This coming to seek relief from his master when in 

 sickness and trouble, is an affecting instance of con- 

 fidence among the brute creation in the superior 

 intellect of man. Conscious of his own inability to help 

 himself, he mutely appeals to his human protector in 

 the hope of obtaining some alleviation of his sufferings. 

 Instances of this are common and have been repeatedly 



