42 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



There is a story told of a famous trotter belonging 

 to a butcher, which attracted the admiration of a 

 gentleman by its splendid action, and was bought by 

 him at a very high price. But no long time elapsed 

 before the purchaser came to the conclusion that he 

 had been taken in; the horse was decidedly a dull, 

 lazy brute ; it was all over 'with his fine trotting ; and 

 the butcher who sold him was, no doubt, aware that 

 the animal laboured under some unsoundness that 

 destroyed his former high qualities. The gentleman 

 took the horse to its former owner, and indignantly 

 denounced the fraud that had been practised upon 

 him. The butcher listened in silence to the stormy 

 harangue, and then turning to one of his men, who 

 was leaving the shop with a tray of meat on his 

 shoulder, he said to him, " Here, Dick, jump up, just 

 as you are, and let us see if the horse can't trot a bit." 

 The man did so, and off' started the horse in the very 

 best style. The gentleman was amazed and con- 

 founded : " I can never make him go like that!" he 

 said. " That 's a pity, sir," replied the butcher ; 

 " you see it is not his fault. But I '11 tell you what it 

 is ; you just please to mount, and let me put a tray of 

 meat on the saddle before you, and then I warrant 

 you '11 say he goes fast enough !" 



Horses often exhibit a good deal of cunning. 



