206 REMEMBRANCE OF ILL USAGE. 



horse one season. At the commencement of the next 

 he very imprudently took him out before he was fit to 

 go ; in short, fat : the consequence was he could not 

 carry his master in his usual way. He foolishly thought 

 the horse sulked, and punished him a good deal with 

 the spurs, till he fairly shut up ; in short, knocked up. 

 His master went the last thing at night to look at him ; 

 the moment the horse saw him, he ran at him open 

 mouthed : fortunately the door was open ; but so near 

 a thing was it, he left a small piece of his flesh and the 

 whole of the back of his coat in the horse's mouth, 

 right glad to get off so well. Now the horse had oftei-ed 

 no injury to the man who had dressed and done him 

 up, though he remarked his being very irritable in 

 being cleaned ; but he remembered master, and would 

 not let him come near him. I saw the horse two days 

 afterwards, went up to him as I always had done, and 

 found him perfectly good tempered. I then bought 

 him. Some weeks afterwards T rode him into his old 

 master's yard : he of course came towards me. So 

 soon as he was within a few yards of me, tlie horse 

 laid his ears in his poll, and would have run at him 

 had I not checked him : and it was remarkable, but a 

 fact, that ever afterwards, at least so long as I had 

 him, the moment the door of a stable or box wliere he 

 was standing was opened, he looked instantly at who 

 was coming ; and, I make no doubt, but two years 

 afterwards, when I sold him, had his old master gone 

 near him, he would have run at him if he could. 



The next circumstance was very similar, and I 

 bring it forward that the first may not be thought a 

 solitary instance of a horse knowing his oppressor. I 

 purchased a mare to carry my wife : she was one of 

 the neatest and most perfect fencers I ever saw, and a 



