THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 497 



of Pera ; they seemed close huddled together, but there 

 was a large space in the centre of the crowd, and 

 something occupying it, which was the point of at- 

 traction. Fearing that it might be some one fallen 

 down unwell, or pulled down by these brutes, we 

 made towards the spot, as by this time we had be- 

 come so accustomed to the manner of frightening the 

 dogs, that we had no fear. On a nearer approach, we 

 found an old white horse on the ground, and appa- 

 rently at the point of death : every now and then he 

 was lifting up his head, and gazing on the expectant 

 crowd around him, on which the circle would be con- 

 siderably enlarged ; but the moment his head dropped, 

 then they gathered more closely around the horse. 

 If ever there was fear expressed in the eye and coun- 

 tenance of an animal, it was in that of the white horse; 

 for as he slowly lifted his head from time to time, and 

 gazed around, he seemed as if conscious of the fate 

 that awaited him, and frightened that the dogs would 

 begin to eat him before he was dead. My friend 

 and myself being provided with two strong oak-sticks, 

 dealt two thundering blows on the skulls of two of the 

 greedy expectants of a feast : they howled fearfully, 

 and the others caught up the chorus, and they all set 

 off ; the poor old horse seemed thankful, and actually 

 bowed his head as we departed in token of his gra- 

 titude ! 



After we left the scene a few minutes, we looked 

 round, and saw the scared dogs stealthily making their 

 way to the place; and on the following morning, 

 about an hour after sunrise, on going to the same spot, 

 all we found of the horse was a part of one of the 

 legs and the hoof; all the other parts were either de- 

 voured or carried awav : but how the dogs managed 

 to separate the parts, I am at a loss to know, as we 



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