A TAIL OF 1846. 259 



to keep the multitude in order. These horses, though 

 in high condition and full of spirits, suffer themselves 

 to be surrounded by crowds, and in fact leaned 

 against by men, women, and children, without ever 

 attempting to lift a leg in return. I must mention 

 an act of docility on the part of one of these horses, 

 and of kindness and gallantry on that of one of these 

 fine corps, that did great credit to both. 



At one of our public processions, a lady had 

 inadvertently got mixed up Avith the crowd : being 

 seriously alarmed, she attracted the attention of the 

 soldier, who, as the readiest and only mode of ex- 

 tricating her from the difficulty, desired her to take 

 hold of his horse's tail : she had sense and resolution 

 enough to do this : he rode forward, thus clearing her 

 a passage out, when he left her in safety. 



Probably the same docility and goodness of temper 



might make this horse draw quietly if he was tried ; 



but it by no means follows that he would do so. He 



had no fear of a crowd, because he was habituated to 



be in one; but he might kick violently at a gig to 



which he was not habituated. This would proceed 



from alarm, not vice. I think I have read that the 



Egyptians in some cases made their cattle draw by 



their tails, and there can be no doubt but that, 



accustom a horse to do so, he would draw any light 



carriage as willingly by his tail as by his shoulders. 



It would be rather a novel, and I conceive a useless 



exhibition here ; but there can be no doubt that if a 



horse was by degrees accustomed to feel a carriage 



touching his quarters, instead of such an occurrence 



being scrupulously prevented, he would be all the 



safer for it in case by any breakage such a thing did 



occur. It is true we cannot habituate a horse to 



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