Horses. 6i 



horses to death {de crever leurs montiires). It is certainly- 

 necessary on occasion, when the fate of thousands depends 

 upon the speed of an animal, to avail ourselves of that 

 noble quality by which it will give its last breath in de- 

 voted obedience ; but soldiers are not generally so tender 

 that they need to be encouraged in indiscriminate merci- 

 lessness. That glorious poem of Browning's would be 

 intolerable to our humanity, were it not for the sweet 

 touches of mercy at the end : — 



" By Hasselt, Dirck groaned ; and cried Joris, 'Stay spur ! 

 Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not in her, 

 We'll remember at Aix ' — for one heard the quick wheeze 

 Of her chest, saw the stretched neck, and staggering knees. 

 And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank. 

 As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank. 



So we were left galloping, Jcris and I, 



Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky ; 



The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh, 



'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble, like chaff; 



Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white. 



And ' Gallop,' said Joris, ' for Aix is in sight ! ' 



' How they'll greet us ! ' — and all in a moment his roan 

 Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone ; 

 And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight 

 Of the news which alone could save Aix from her fate. 

 With his nostrils like pits full of blood to the brim, 

 And with circles of red for his eye-sockets'' rim." 



All this is very terrible, and would be almost in the 

 spirit of the Imperial command to the orderlies to crever 

 leurs montures ; were it not that the very strength of the 



For intense power of literary workmanship I know nothing in any lan- 

 guage, that goes beyond those four lines. The poem is entitled, " How They 

 brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix." 



crever leurs montures. " Ride their horses to death.'' 



