The Horse 247 



to take the bell — they follow like dogs. A 

 stampede is impossible unless the bell mare 

 takes fright. Back in the days of droving, when 

 horses went to market upon their own legs, 

 instead of riding in stock cars, the bell mare 

 always led, and was also always the point of 

 attack for horse thieves. If they could shoot 

 her rider, and make off with her, the drove 

 came tumbling pell-mell after, even if they 

 had to swim rivers or breast mountains to 

 reach her. Contrariwise, if the bell escaped, 

 it was hardly worth while to capture part of 

 the drove — the animals would break out, and 

 go back in search of her, if they were halted 

 anywhere within a hundred miles. 



Bell mares are thus herd stepmothers. 

 Some of them have been known to become 

 suckling mothers, although they had never 

 thrown foals of their own. In several cases 

 they have been pulled down almost to skele- 

 tons, by the incessant sucking of a dozen strong 

 young mouths. One mare at least did her 

 best to drive away all but one of the sucklers. 

 That one she mothered in really touching 

 fashion, licking it while it sucked, and feed- 

 ing after it, no matter which way it went. 

 She also whinnied to it with the true mother- 

 note — which is unlike any other whinny, 

 softer, yet keener. Indeed, this special foal, 

 which curiously enough belonged to the bell 



