2o8 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



told V to ride my horse, and I would see what 



I could make of his wild beast. Accordingly, I took 

 my cudgel in my hand, and walked towards him in 

 front, telling the Indian by signs to hold on to the 

 laryette. As I approached he snuffed and snorted 

 as he had done to V ; and when he thought I 

 was near enough, jumped forward to seize me with 

 his teeth; but 'I saluted him with a heavy blow on 

 the head with my cudgel, and, finding that it checked 

 him, I repeated the application. He appeared 

 stunned and stupefied for a moment, so I jumped on 

 him, and telling the Indian to let go, gave the word 

 to march. For the first few minutes I continued to 

 belabour my unruly steed with the cudgel, and ac- 

 companied every blow with a loud, rough ejaculation, 

 in order that he might learn to know my voice. 

 Before I had long treated his ribs to the same whole- 

 some discipline that his head had undergone he 

 appeared to be quite humbled and docile, so I rode 

 quietly on with the -party ; and whenever he showed 

 symptoms of resuming his pranks, I had only to call 

 to him in the same tone as before, and he returned 

 to a sense of duty.' 



The horses of the Indians in America, of the 

 Guachos, and of various other uncivilised or only 

 half- civilised people, are unshod. Shoeing in Eng- 

 land is sometimes a difficult matter, so here is a 

 sketch of how it is, or was, accomplished in the 

 German duchy of Nassau. 



