RESTIVENESS. 355 



who follows the same trade, possesses but a small portion of the art, having either 

 never learned the true secret, or being incapable of putting it into practice. The 

 wonder of his skill consisted in the celerity of the operation, which was performed in 

 privacy, without any apparent means of coercion. Every description of horse, or 

 even mule, whether previously broken or unhandled, whatever their peculiar habits 

 or vices might have been, submitted without show of resistance to the magical influ- 

 ence of his art, and in the short space of half an hour became gentle and tractable. 

 This effect, though instantaneously produced, was generally durable. Though more 

 submissive to him than to others, the animals seemed to have acquired a docility 

 unknown before. 



" When sent for to tame a vicious beast, for which he was either paid according to 

 the distance, or generally two or three guineas, he directed the stable, in which he and 

 the object of the experiment were, to be shut, with orders not to open the door until a 

 signal was given. After a tete-d-tete of about half an hour, during which little or no 

 bustle was heard, the signal was made, and, upon opening the door, the horse 

 appeared lying down, and the man by his side, playing with him like a child with a 

 puppy dog. From that time, he was found perfectly willing to submit to any disci- 

 pline — however repugnant to his nature before. I once," continues Mr. Croker, 

 "saw his skill tried on a horse, which could never before be brought 'to stand for a 

 smith to shoe him. The day after Sullivan's half-hour's lecture, I went, not without 

 some incredulity, to the smith's shop, with many other curious spectators, where we 

 were eye-witnesses of the complete success of his art. This, too, had been a troop- 

 horse, and it was supposed, not without reason, that after regimental discipline had 

 failed, no other would be found availing. I observed that the animal appeared terrified 

 whenever Sullivan either spoke to, or looked at him ; how that extraordinary ascend- 

 ency could have been obtained, is difficult to conjecture. 



" In common cases this mysterious preparation was unnecessary. He seemed to 

 possess an instinctive power of inspiring awe, the result, perhaps, of natural intre- 

 pidity, in which, 1 believe, a great part of his art consisted ; though the circumstance 

 of the iete-d-teie shows that, on particular occasions, something more must have been 

 added to it. A faculty like this would, in some hands, have made a fortune, and I 

 understand that great offers were made to him, for the exercise of his art abroad. But 

 hunting was his passion. He lived at home in the style most agreeable to his dispo- 

 sition, and nothing could induce him to quit Duhallow and the fox-hounds," 



Mr. Castley witnessed the total failure of the younger Sullivan. He says, " we 

 have in the regiment a remarkably nice horse, called Lancer, that has always been 

 very difficult to shoe, but seven or eight years ago, when we first got him, he was 

 downright vicious in that respect. When the regiment was stationed at Cork, the 

 farrier-major sought out the present Sullivan, the son of the celebrated Whisperer, 

 and brought him up to the barracks in order to try his hand upon Lancer, and make 

 him more peaceable to shoe ; but I must say this person did not appear to possess any 

 particular controlling power over the animal more than any other man. Lancer 

 seemed to pay no attention whatever to his charm, and at last fairly beat him out of 

 the forge. Time, however, and a long perseverance in kind and gentle treatment, have 

 effected what force could not. The horse is now pretty reasonable to shoe."* 



* An account, bearing considerable resemblance to the feats of the English horse-tamer, has 

 been lately laid before the public. 



Mr. Caflin has pubUshed an account, the veracity of which is unimpeached, of his travels 

 among the North American Indians. He thus describes the manner in which the Indian 

 tames the wild horse. " He coils his lasso on his arm, and gallops fearlessly into the herd 

 of wild horses. He soon gets it over the neck of one of the number, when he instantly 

 dismounts, leaving his own horse, and runs as fast as he can, letting the lasso pass out sradu- 

 ally and carefully through his hands, until the horse falls for want of breath, and lies helpless 

 on the ground. The Indian advances slowly towards the horse's head, keeping the lasso tight 

 upon his neck, until he fastens a pair of hobbles on the animal's two fore feet, and also loosens 

 the lasso, giving the horse a chance to breathe, and passing a noose round the under jaw, by 

 which he gets great power over the affrighted animal, that is rearing and plunging when it gets 

 breath, and by which, as he advances, hand over hand, towards the horse's nose, he is able to 

 hold it down, and prevent it from throwing itself over on its back. By this means he gradu- 

 ally advances, until he is able to place his hand on the animal's nose and over its eyes, and 

 at length, to breathe into its nostrils, when it soon becomes docile and conquered ; so that he 

 has little else to do than to remove the hobbles from its feet, and lead or ride it to the camp. 



