TAMTTTO.] 



MODERN VETERINARY PRACTICE. 



[taxttko. 



{[y'uvj; at and worrying nuy pordoa wlio cnmo 

 within his reach ; and if ho had an opportunity, 

 ho would get hia head round, soizo his rider by 

 the log with hia tei'th, and drag him down iVoni 

 hia back. For this reason he was always rid- 

 den iu what is called a sword ; which is no- 

 thing more than a strong Hat stick, having 

 one end attached to the cheek of the bridle, 

 and the other to the girth of the saddle, a con- 

 trivance to prevent a horse of this kind from 

 getting at his rider. 



" King Pippin had long been difficult to 

 manage, and dangerous to go near ; but on the 

 occasion in question, ho could not be got out 

 to run at all. Nobody could put the bridle 

 upon his head. It being Easter Monday, and, 

 consequently a great holiday, there was a 

 large concourse of people assembled at the 

 Curragh, consisting principally of the neigh- 

 bouring peasantry ; and one countryman, more 

 fearless than the rest of the lookers-on, forget- 

 ting, or, perhaps, never dreaming that the 

 Detter part of courage is discretion, volun- 

 teered bis services to bridle the horse. No 

 sooner had he committed himself to this opera- 

 tion, than King Pippin seized him somewhere 

 about the shoulders, or chest, and shook him 

 as a dog would shake a rat. Fortunately for 

 the poor fellow, his body was very thickly 

 covered with clothes, for, on such occasions, 

 an Irishman of this class is fond of displaying 

 his wardrobe ; and if he has three coats in the 

 world, he is sure to put them all on. 



" This circumstance, in all probability, saved 

 the individual who had so gallantly volun- 

 teered the forlorn hope. His person was so 

 deeply enveloped in extra clothing, that the 

 horse never got fairly hold of his skin ; and 

 I understand that he escaped with but little 

 injury, beside the sadly rent 'and totally ruined 

 state of his wardrobe. 



" The * "Whisperer ' was sent for, who, having 

 arrived, was shut up with the horse all night, 

 and, in the morning, he exhibited this hitherto 

 ferocious animal, following him about the 

 course like a dog ; lying down at his command ; 

 suffering his mouth to be opened, and any 

 person's hand to be introduced into it ; in 

 short, as quiet as a sheep. 



" He came out the same meeting, and won 

 ft race, and his docility continued satisfactory 

 for a lo»g time ; but, at the end of about three 

 2 X 



years, hia vice returned, and then ho ia said 

 to have killed a man, for which iio waa de- 

 stroyed." 



It may bo interesting to give soiiio account 

 of this extraordinary tamer of equine vice. 



The Rev. Mr. Townsend, in hia Statistical 

 Survey of Corky first introduced the " "Whis- 

 perer" to the notice of the public generally, 

 although his tame had, long before, been spread 

 over that part of Ireland. He ia mentioned 

 also iu Crokers Fairy Legends and Traditions 

 of Ireland. Tlic following is an extract from 

 that work : — 



" He was an awkward, ignorant rustic, of 

 the lowest class, of the name of Sullivan, but 

 better known by the appellation of the * AVhis- 

 perer ;' his occupation was horse-breaking. 

 The nickname he acquired from the vulgar 

 notion of his being able to communicate to 

 the animal what he wished by means of a 

 whisper, and the singularity of his method, 

 seemed in some degree to justify the attribute. 

 In his own neighbourhood, the notoriety of 

 the fact made it seem less remarkable ; but I 

 doubt if any instance of similar subjugating 

 talent is to be found on record. As far as the 

 sphere of his control extended, the boast of 

 veni, vidi, vici, was more justly claimed by 

 Sullivan than by Caesar himself. 



" How his art was acquired, and in what it 

 consisted, is likely to be for ever unknown, as 

 he left the world without divulging it. His 

 son, who followed the same trade, possessed 

 but a small portion of the art, having either 

 never learned the true secret, or having been 

 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 resis- 

 tance to the magical influence of his art, and 

 in the short space of half-an-hour became 

 gentle and tractable. This effect, though in- 

 stantaneously produced, was generally durable. 

 Though more submissive to him than any 

 others, they 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 dis- 



337 



