52 THE WONDER-BOOK OF HORSES 



them from all further trouble. As soon as the 

 oats or barley was tall enough they would cut and 

 tie up a fair sheaf of it, and lay it high up on a 

 fence where the frolicsome old fellow would be 

 sure to see it before getting into the field. 



" Ah ! how kind the dear farmer is to provide 

 this sheaf of sweet barley for me," Sleipnir would 

 say to himself. " I really cannot have the heart 

 to tangle his grain." And then he would gallop 

 away to the next farm. Wednesday night was — 

 and still is, for all I know — his favorite time for 

 visiting the fields ; for Wednesday, as you know, 

 is Odin's day. And that, I suppose, is the reason 

 why people always selected Wednesday as the 

 best time in the week for puzzling one another 

 with the question: 



"Who are the two that ride over the rainbow?" 



