FOR SALE— A THOROUGHBRED NAG. 115 



wall ; how he screamed and neighed (never have I heard so 

 deep, so fierce a neigh as mother and son both possessed) ; how 

 to escape his pursuers he leapt up among the piled litter to 

 climb over to his dam — and would have climbed, and broken 

 limb or neck, had I not fortunately been in his rear and seized 

 his tail, and hauled till he rolled over in the litter, and was lost 

 for the moment, all except his thin legs, which fought desperately 

 with the air ; how, when taken and securely haltered, he danced 

 and pranced about the green, threw himself down and screamed 

 once twisting me over with him ; how, after he had worked hhn- 

 self into the last state of perspiration and excitement, he leant 

 — absolutely leant — up against me to rest, poor little fellow ! 

 He was at length, though nothing like cowed, led away to a dis- 

 tant part of the farm and introduced to the company of other 

 colts who had lately passed through the same bewildering expe- 

 rience as himself, and had survived it, and who now knew no 

 more of mother or father than does an Arab of the streets. He 

 raced about and screamed for his mother, to the no small sur- 

 prise and contempt of his comrades. 



Parted from her first-born son, that mother led us such a 

 life ! If ever there was a real nightmare of flesh and blood, it 

 was she. Three, four nights running, father, Joe, and I sat up 

 with her (all three the first night, the other nights by turns), and 

 if we had not she would have hanged herself over and over 

 again. A very legion of devils seemed to possess her. She 

 neither ate nor drank, nor lay down day or night, but made 

 violent wrenches at her halter (which she broke again and again), 

 threw herself against the walls and on the floor of her stall, like 

 a lunatic. I never saw or heard of a horse behaving so before. 



' Lor' bless you, yes, sir,' said Joe, raising his eyebrows, ' at 

 weanin' wuss— much wuss, sometimes.' 



Well, I never had seen it ; but I was young, and I v^entured 

 to doubt whether the mare would not rather die than give in, 

 and whether we were not acting a very cruel part. In express- 

 ing as much, I looked at my father ; but he stood and smoked, 

 fixed and inscrutable as an Indian chief Her last paroxysm 

 must have been very violent and peculiar. I was with her on 

 the fourth day alone, and had run indoors to my mother to get 

 a mouthful of something warm, when suddenly there came from 

 the stable the most dreadful clatter and snorting. I rushed out, 

 and found her lying with her tail where her head should be, but 

 with her head still bound to the manger so that it was dragged 



