50 WHIP AND SPUR. 



forgetting his stable training, and his horses bore 

 testimony to his skill and fidelity. After going 

 through the routine of a well-regulated stable, 

 he gave each horse a half-hour's stroking with 

 the flat of his hands, brisk and invigorating ; and 

 the result was a more blooming condition and 

 more vigorous health than is often seen in horses 

 on a campaign. The best substitute that could 

 be secured for a stable was a very heavy canvas 

 blanket, covering the horse from his ears to his 

 tail and down to his knees, water-proof and wind- 

 proof. It was a standing entertainment with the 

 less dignified members of the mess to invite at- 

 tention to Ruby as he stood moping under this 

 hideous housing. Certainly I never saw him thus 

 without thinking that his time had at last come, 

 and that he surely would never again be able to 

 carry me creditably. Yet, as Ike's devotion con- 

 tinued, he grew better and better, commanding 

 daily more of the respect and admiration of all 

 who knew him, and attaching himself to me more 

 and more as we learned each other's wavs. 



One never loves but one horse entirely, and 



