240 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



jumped cleanly through an open window without 

 touching the sash, and ran down the street in search 

 of amusement. At another time, while waiting in 

 the blacksmith shop, his shoes having been taken dff, 

 but not yet replaced, Peter heard the twelve o'clock 

 alarm strike. This he knew indicated the hour of 

 his dinner, and accordingly Peter made off, without 

 saying " By your leave " to the smith, and presently 

 appeared at the ladder-house door, neighing for ad- 

 mission. 



This fine animal met with a sad fate not long ago. 

 While running to a fire, he came in collision with one 

 of the protective wagons, and his leg was broken in 

 two places, so that he had to be shot where he fell 

 in the street. Something even worse happened sev- 

 eral years ago to a fire-engine horse in Boston. He 

 was struck by the pole of another engine, which came 

 out of its house just as the first engine dashed by ; 

 the force of the blow, unknown to his driver, broke 

 the animal's leg, but he kept on, travelling, of course, 

 on three legs only, and pulling his share of the im- 

 mense weight behind him, till the place of the fire 

 was reached, nearly or quite one quarter of a mile 

 further. Then the poor beast dropped to the ground, 

 never to rise again. The fire horse is subject to ac- 

 cidents like these, but we must remember that the 

 fireman's danger is greater yet. 



It happens occasionally that a horse is bought who 

 proves to be altogether too nervous for the business : 

 he is in a continual state of tension, will not eat unless 

 taken out of his stall, and is so worried with appre- 

 hension of an alarm that it is impossible to use him 

 as a fire horse. In a few other cases, the nervousness, 



