GAINING A BATTLE WITHOUT A FIGHT. 267 



I now got a sack or two of oats into the cart, and 

 the horse went on with that. I then loaded it as 

 heavily as it would bear, and still the horse Avalked 

 away with it. I had now only to get him to draw 

 without the temptation of grazing. This I did by 

 making a man walk before him with a bundle of 

 sweet hay. I got reins on : and now in about five days 

 this horse that it was said no man could make draw, 

 without any cleverness, coachmanship, or dexterity 

 on my part, was as well disposed as any animal 

 living. He had practically been taught that he 

 could draw without inconvenience, and that a vehicle 

 behind him was not always the precursor of punishment 

 and ill-usage : consequently, the poor brute was quite 

 willing to do that which he found, so far from injuring 

 him, procured him gratification, which I conceive 

 food to be to a hungry stomach. Of course nothing 

 like this is usually required : I merely state the fact 

 by way of showing that a little patience and inven- 

 tion will do that which brute force cannot achieve. 

 This grazing plan may never be wanted ; but as a 

 system I am quite clear it is a rational one. I have 

 mentioned the anecdote certainly as an extreme case, 

 but in illustration of an opinion I must retain, that 

 inducing horses to do what we want by in fact out- 

 Avitting them, is the surest mode of succeeding with 

 them. In this case I do not believe any powers on 

 earth could have made this horse draw ; for the 

 more he Avas urged to do so, the more resolutely he 

 would have resisted : he was, in point of fact, forced 

 to draw, because he was obliged to do so or starve ; 

 but there AA-as no apparent means used to do it, so 

 the act was in one sense voluntary on his part. 



Whenever we attempt to punish an irrational 



