No. 9. 



Can a Horse Reason ? 



283 



one side of the street to the other. If he 

 sees me, he will stop, or come up to me. I 

 get into the carriage, and without saying a 

 word to him, or touching the rein, he takes 

 up the first street leading to our home. 

 Here is a narrow lane, leading to the gate ; 

 and to make a clean turn through it, it is 

 necessary to keep to the right, near the 

 fence. John knows it, and stops at the pro- 

 per point; I get out, open the gate, and 

 pass through. He wheels short round, de- 

 scribing a quarter circle, and sees all is 

 right before him; the gate is narrow, there 

 being but five or six inches to spare, between 

 the wheel and the post. John knows it; and 

 in more than five hundred times passing 

 through that gate, he has not touched the 

 post more than three or four times; but 

 when he happens to do so, he will immedi- 

 ately back, sheer off" of his own accord, and 

 pass through, never failing in his second at- 

 tempt. There are many instances of his 

 having locked his wheels with other carri- 

 ages, when endeavouring to get a good 

 shade, and disengaghig himself in a similar 

 manner, and which have been noticed by 

 Gen. T. D. W. and others. But for the 

 oddity of it, I certainly should not use 

 either rein or bridle. In going to the city, 

 or back, but especially at night, I would 

 trust him sooner than a professed watchman. 

 Not the slightest injury has ever occurred 

 to the carriage by any fault of his. 



But he has also a mode of communicating 

 his wishes and wants, by signs, looks, and 

 actions, which are as perfectly comprehensi- 

 ble by me, as if expressed in the plainest 

 language spoken by man. He not only uses 

 a language to express his ideas, emotions, 

 &c., but he has clearly invented that lan- 

 guage himself, as I think I shall prove. A 

 portion of the year, the stable being left 

 open for that purpose, John is allowed to 

 come to the house and kitchen when he 

 likes. About twelve o'clock, one light 

 night, I heard a heavy knocking at the 

 kitchen door. The knocking continued so 

 long and so loud, that I got up and went to 

 the window, when I found it was John cre- 

 ating the disturbance. His hind feet were 

 on the ground, and his fore feet on the upper 

 step. Lifting his foot, he would strike the 

 point of his hoof against the door, ten or 

 fifteen times, repeating it every few min- 

 utes. From many other feats of his sagaci- 

 ty, I was well convinced of his object. I 

 called up the servant, and charged him with 

 neglecting to feed the horse ; but he stoutly 

 denied the charge. It is certain I did not 

 believe him. But the same thing happened 

 several times afterwards, and I had as often 

 called up the servant, who still asserted the 



horse had been fed. One day I happened 

 to hear the old negro talking to the servants 

 in the kitchen, laughing heartily, and re- 

 peating, " John won't lie, and master knows 

 it." A laugh. "He believes John, and 

 won't believe me." Another laugh. "I 

 won't tell any more lies about feeding John. 

 It's no use." They all laugh, and I laugh ! 

 When he wants water, he will go to the 

 well, and knock against the curb, or the 

 water tub, in the same manner. Of late 

 years, the servant gets up at the earliest 

 knocking, for he knows that no sleep is to 

 be had on the premises until John's demands 

 are complied with. I ot\en direct that he 

 should not be fed in the morning, for the 

 purpose of inducing him to adopt some other 

 mode of communicatnig his wishes. After 

 exhausting his patience in his usual efforts, 

 he would come to the house and walk by 

 the door, stepping short and quick, and 

 wheeling abruptly round. After practising 

 in this manner for some time, he would 

 give one of the queerest squeals I ever 

 heard, as much resembling the yell of a 

 Choctaw, as anything else, although he can, 

 if he likes, squeal in very good English ! 

 In November last, Mr. H., of C, who was 

 at my house, desired to witness some of 

 John's performances. After performing se- 

 veral feats I have related, and we had gone 

 into the house, the house servant came to 

 me and said John would not let her go to 

 the kitchen. We went out on the gallery, 

 and saw that John had planted his heels di- 

 rectly opposite to the kitchen door, looking 

 very savagely. I ordered the girl to drive 

 him away, which she attempted to do with 

 a stick. But no ! John would not move an 

 inch. W'ith his head near the ground, his 

 ears backed, stamping violently, and shaking 

 his head, he bid defiance. All this I knew 

 was merely for effect. I knew he would not 

 have injured the least of living things. I 

 then told the girl to go to the well and draw 

 him water. As soon as she started in that 

 direction, he threw off" his theatrical charac- ■ 

 ter and followed her, looking pleased and 

 highly gratified at the success of his inge-' 

 nious experiment. I will relate one feat of 

 a different character. A year or two ago, 

 when I came to the city one morning, I left 

 John at a shop in Church street, to be shod, 

 requesting the smith, after he had done so, 

 to put the horse in the buggy, and let him 

 go; a practice I have pursued at that and 

 other shops, for several years. An hour or 

 two after, I was standing on the side-walk, 

 opposite to the Mansion house, when I saw 

 John coming down Government street, and 

 then up Royal, in a fast trot, stopping within 

 a few feet of me. He soon commenced 



