58 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



and then when it had, as we are told, " given up 

 all threatening behaviour, and was only hot for the 

 course," he gave the horse its head, " urging him 

 onward by raising his voice and using his heel." 



At the sight of this fine display of horse break- 

 ing and horsemanship the spectators, now some- 

 what abashed at the haste they had been in to 

 jeer, grew silent. But not for long. Presently, as 

 Alexander came galloping back, " full of just pride 

 and pleasure," the assembled multitude, including 

 the king's attendants, "of one accord raised a 

 great cheer, lifting up their hands from pure 

 joy." 



Philip himself must have been of an emotional 

 nature, for we read that "he said nothing, but 

 wept silently from pure joy." 



Possibly the lad too suffered from "pure joy" 

 at that moment, for upon his dismounting his 

 father advanced with the remark that Macedonia 

 was "not big enough for such a son," that he 

 " must go look for a kingdom to match him." 



Which shows that even in the centuries before 

 Christ there was truth in the popular platitude 

 that nothing succeeds like success ! 



Then and there Bucephalus was bought for 

 Alexander, and from that time until its death, 

 from wounds received in a battle fought against 

 the Indian king, Porus, the horse remained 

 Alexander's favourite charger and companion. 



A remarkable peculiarity about this animal was 



