i2o THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



death as rebels. Indeed at this period the theft 

 of a horse ranked second only to murder, and was 

 punished as severely. 



A horse upon whose history several more or 

 less romantic stories and poems have been based 

 was the bay charger owned by King Edward I. 

 that Sir Eustace de Hecche rode in the battle of 

 Falkirk in 1298. It had a white stocking on its 

 near hind leg, and according to one story its sire 

 and grandsire had each a white stocking almost 

 exactly similar. 



Some say that this charger — it had several 

 names, apparently — was killed in the battle, for 

 it is known beyond dispute that many of the 

 chargers owned by knights, barons, valets and 

 esquires were slain in that great conflict. 



Other reports, however, have it that Sir 

 Eustace's mount came through the fight without 

 a scratch. Sir Eustace was singularly attached 

 to this particular horse and is said to have 

 refused offers of large sums if he would sell 

 it. He is also accredited with the remark that 

 in courage and intelligence his bay charger 

 eclipsed all other war horses he had ever 

 owned. 



Much of interest to do with horses has 

 been narrated by a distinguished writer who 



