HUNTING 117 



one of us who may not, if he choose, be daily 

 and hourly striving to curtail the load of 

 misery which the equine race is called upon to 

 bear. We may not be fortunate enough to 

 possess horses ourselves upon which to exer- 

 cise our humanity, but can we not do some- 

 thing — yea, much — for others ? Surely we 

 can, if we only possess the courage and the 

 will. Even a word judiciously spoken will 

 often effect more than we could have hoped 

 or supposed. Two years ago I saw a cabman 

 in Dubhn cruelly iU-treating his horse. The 

 poor animal was resting its worn and tired 

 body upon the stand, ready for the wrench 

 which its jaw would receive as soon as the 

 next prospect of a **fare" should excite the 

 cupidity of its owner. One would have 

 thought that the sight of so much patient 

 misery would have moved the stoniest heart 

 to suffer the hapless creature to enjoy its 

 few moments of needed repose. But no ; the 

 driver wanted some amusement, he was weary 

 of standing by himself, without some sort of 

 employment to divert his ignoble mind, and 

 so he found such out. How? By beating 



