ROAD HORSES. 125 



in the opposite direction ; but as his lights were burn- 

 ing brightly, and the highway was a broad one, he 

 thought nothing of it. Suddenly, however, before he 

 could stop her, his steed made a violent jump to the 

 left, crossing the road, and barely had she done so, 

 when the approaching wagon, driven, as it appeared, 

 by a drunken man, dashed by in the track which the 

 Doctor's buggy had just left. The intelligent mare 

 had waited till the last moment, thinking that the 

 vehicle which she heard, would keep to the right, as 

 it should have done; and then, foreseeing that a 

 collision was otherwise inevitable, she had sprung out 

 of the path of danger. 



I have sketched in a preceding chapter the most 

 speedy and highly finished branch of the Morgan 

 stock, which is that of the Lamberts, descended, 

 through Ethan Allen, from Vermont Blackhaw^k. 

 Vermont Blackhawk had also a son called Vermont 

 Hero, and Vermont Hero was the sire of General 

 Knox l (whose name I have mentioned), a famous 

 trotting stallion, and the founder of a subsidiary 

 roadster family. This animal had every excellence 

 except that of beauty. He was a stout, short-legged 

 black horse, about fifteen hands high, with a good 

 plain head. The Knox horses bear a wonderful fam- 

 ily resemblance, and they are noted for their courage, 

 endurance, docility, and intelligence. Xo branch of 

 the Morgan family is more serviceable or more ami- 

 able than this one, and, with the possible exception 

 of the Lamberts, none is more speedy. 



1 His dam was by Searcher, a half-bred horse descended from 

 ] Homed , and his second dam was also of Diomed blood. Searcher's 

 dam was a Morgan. General Knox was therefore a combination of 

 Morgan and thoroughbred. 



