THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 41 



The general came forth from his tent, and proceeded 

 to mount ; but the instant the horse saw him advance, 

 he flung himself flat upon the sand, and neither blows 

 nor entreaties could induce him to rise. It was the 

 general's old charger, which, from the moment of 

 quitting his service, had never once practised the arti- 

 fice until this second meeting. The general, who was 

 an exceedingly good-humored man, joined heartily in 

 the universal shout that ran through the whole line on 

 witnessing this ludicrous affair. 



Courage is a quality of great importance in a horse, 

 and some possess it in a high degree. It is worthy, 

 too, of remark, that there is often something more 

 than mere natural indifference to danger, something of 

 an intellectual character in the courage of the horse. 

 He learns to overcome his fears. At the sight of a 

 tiger a horse has been known to become wholly para- 

 lysed with terror, and incapable of resistance, or even 

 of flight ; and yet this instinctive dread of mortal foes 

 can be eradicated by education, and a reliance on the 

 protection of man. A remarkable proof of this is, 

 that the hunting leopard is allowed by the well-trained 

 horse to spring on his back, either behind or before 

 his master, when he goes a-field in pursuit of game. 

 One of the most signal instances of courage on the 

 part of horse and rider, and of perfect concert between 

 both, is that recorded of the late Sir Robert Gillespie 

 and his Arab. Sir Robert being present on the race- 



