A WILD HORSE. 273 



which he continued. I usually travelled from fifteen to twenty miles be- 

 fore breakfast, and after the first hour allowed my horse to drink as much 

 as he would. When I halted for breakfast, I generally stopped two 

 hours, cleaned the horse, and gave him as much corn blades as he could 

 eat. I then rode on until within half an hour of sunset, when I watered 

 him well, poured a bucket of cold water over his back, had his skin well 

 rubbed, his feet examined and cleaned. The rack was filled with blades, 

 the trough with corn, a good-sized pumpkin or some hens' eggs, when- 

 ever they could be procured, were thrown in, and if oats were to be had, 

 half a bushel of them was given in preference to corn, which is apt to 

 heat some horses. In the morning, the nearly empty trough and rack 

 afforded sufficient evidence of the state of his health. 



I had not ridden him many days before he became so attached to me 

 that on coming to some limpid stream, in which I had a mind to bathe, 

 I could leave him at liberty to graze, and he would not drink if told not 

 to do so. He was ever sure-footed, and in such continual good spirits, 

 that now and then, when a turkey happened to rise from a dusting place 

 before me, the mere inclination of my body forward was enough to bring 

 him to a smart canter, which he would continue until the bird left the 

 road for the woods, when he never failed to resume his usual trot. On 

 my way homewards I met at the crossings of the Juniata River a gentle- 

 man from New Orelans whose name is Vincent Nolte. He was mount- 

 ed on a superb horse, for which he had paid three hundred dollars, and 

 a servant on horseback led another as a change. I was then an ut- 

 ter stranger to him, and as I approached and praised his horse, he not 

 very courteously observed that he wished I had as good a one. Finding 

 that he was going to Bedford to spend the night, I asked him at what 

 hour he would get there. " Just soon enough to have some trouts ready 

 for our supper, provided you will join when you get there." I almost 

 imagined that Barro understood our conversation ; he pricked up his ears, 

 and lengthened his pace, on which Mr Nolte caracoUed his horse, and 

 then put him to a quick trot, but all in vain, for I reached the hotel 

 nearly a quarter of an hour before him, ordered the trouts, saw to the 

 putting away of my good horse, and stood at the door ready to welcome 

 my companion. From that day Vincent Nolte has been a friend to 

 me. It was from him I received letters of introduction to the Rathbones 

 of Liverpool, for which I shall ever be grateful to him. We rode toge- 

 ther as far as Shipping-port, where my worthy friend Nicholas Bek- 



VOL. III. s 



