2S8 THE HORSE OF MR. VON OSTEN 



was awaiting the answer, and yet at the same time the 

 possibility of receiving a sign was obviated. 



2. Another man in Mr. von Osten's absence was to 

 ask the horse to tap a certain number. Then the ques- 

 tioner was to leave, and Mr. von Osten, returning, was 

 to ask the horse to perform some arithmetical process 

 with the number which was thus unknown to the master. 

 Mr. von Osten said that he thought that this method was 

 somewhat risky, since the horse would be aware that he, 

 Mr. von Osten, did not know the number, and might 

 therefore be in a humor to play some prank. 



The questions of the first sort were answered with 

 but very few errors. Mr. Hahn and Count zu Castell 

 asked simple questions in arithmetic. When Mr. von 

 Osten withdrew into the stable, the count put several 

 other problems, among them the counting of persons 

 and of windows, all of which were solved correctly. 



Between the first and second series of tests the follow- 

 ing experiments were interpolated. The names of six 

 members of the commission were written upon six slates 

 respectively, which were then suspended from a string. 

 Mr. von Osten pointed to one of the men and asked: 

 " On which of the slates is this gentleman's name to be 

 found ? ". The correct number was tapped in every case. 

 The command to approach the slate in question was also 

 obeyed as a rule, although this was not as uniformly suc- 

 cessful as tapping. 



In the conference which followed, Mr. Busch declared 

 that the feats appeared inconceivable to him; and again 

 none of the men had noted anything in the way of signs. 



Now followed the second series of tests mentioned 

 above. In order to be sure to get the correct responses, 

 Mr. Schillings, who up to this point had not been present 



