KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



85 



would stand talking to her. He would address 

 her in the tenderest tones, reminding her how he 

 had brought her up as his child and indulged her, 

 and assuring her that it was his poverty which 

 had obliged him to part with her ; he would then 

 wipe his eyes, embrace her, and take the most af- 

 fectionate leave. D'Arvieux mentions the case of 

 another Arab, who would not part with a mare 

 which had been bought for the King of France : 

 — " When he put the money in his bag," D'Ar- 

 vieux tells, " he looked wistfully upon his mare 

 and began to weep; ' shall it be possible,' said he, 

 ' that after having bred thee up in my house 

 with so much care, and after having had so much 

 service from thee, I should be delivering thee up 

 to slavery to the Franks for thy reward ? No, I 

 never will do it, my darling ! ' and with that he 

 threw down the money on the table, embraced 

 and kissed his mare, and took her home with him 

 again." This incident has been made the subject 

 of a touching and spirited poem by the Honor- 

 able Mrs. Norton. Nor is kindness thrown away 

 on the generous animal. The Syrian horse, we 

 are told, is so peculiarly under the influence of at- 

 tachment—so fond does he become of his groom, 

 that he will follow him about like a dog. After 

 having been brought in from the wild state and 

 tamed, if they become by any accident free they 

 never again become wild, but come at the call of 

 their masters. The Buccaneers, who have re- 

 turned after a long absence, have been gratified 

 by finding themselves remembered, when they 

 have been met by a welcome, which shows how 

 capable the lower creatures are of loving those who 

 treat them kindly. 



The swiftness of the Arabian horse is astonish- 

 ing ; no obstacle can impede his speed — he clears 

 at a bound such as he meets ; yet in the midst of 

 this rapid course, if Jiis rider happens to fall, he 

 instantly stays his speed and stands perfectly still. 

 From his attachment to his master, and from his 

 remarkable docility and agility, the Arabian 

 horse is highly prized, and is often sold for one or 

 two thousand pounds, and has been known to 

 bring three thousand. When we reflect on the 

 native wild state of the horse, and all that can be 

 gradually accomplished in his training, and on the 

 hold which affection for his master takes of his 

 nature, it may well excite our admiration. He 

 soon learns to obey the human voice, and to be as 

 subservient to the word of command as a well- 

 disciplined soldier. The words "go on " and 

 " stop " are instantly obeyed, and even the chucks 

 and chirrups of the driver, so incomprehensible to 

 us, convey a precise meaning to the obedient 

 horse. A slight check of the bridle directs him 

 what course to take and when to stand still — so 

 wonderfully teachable is this creature ! 



But there are mysterious influences by which 

 an immediate ascendancy is gained over him, 

 independent of the process of teaching on the 

 promptings of affection. There is a family living 

 in the county of Cork, who lay claim to a secret 

 by which the wildest or most vicious horse can be 

 tamed — this secret is said to have been originally 

 imparted by a Bohemian, to be regularly trans- 

 mitted as a parting legacy at the time of death 

 from the father to the eldest son. The grandson 

 of Con Sullivan, who is now the possessor of the 

 secret, though to a certain degree successful in its 



application, falls far short of the miraculous prac- 

 tice of his grandfather. 



Among the many well-attested accounts of the 

 wonderful achievements of Con Sullivan, the 

 Wldsperer, the first of the family in possession of 

 the secret, the services which he rendered Colonel 

 Westenra, who afterwards succeeded to the title 

 of Rossmore, was the talk of the whole country. 

 The Colonel had a splendid race- horse, called 

 Rainbow, and he was anxious to run him at the 

 races on the Curragh of Kildare ; but he was so 

 wild and vicious, that he found he must give up 

 all thoughts of bringing him out — he would bite 

 every one who went near him, and it was neces- 

 sary to tie up his head when the groom who at- 

 tended him was with him — if a horse chanced to 

 be near him, he was sure to bite him, and the legs 

 of the jockey who attempted to mount him did not 

 escape his fangs. Lord Doneraile said, he knew 

 a person who could cure him — the Colonel would 

 not believe him, and a wager of a thousand pounds 

 was laid on the matter. 



A messenger was despatched for Con Sullivan 

 — known throughout the country as "the Whis- 

 perer," from the supposition that he whispered into 

 the horse's ear, by which means he quieted such 

 as were unruly. When he was told the state of 

 Colonel Westenra's horse, he desired to go into 

 the stable to see him. " You must w 7 ait till his 

 head is tied up," was repeated by those who were 

 present — " No occasion," said Con, " he won't 

 bite me ; " so in he went, after peremptorily 

 ordering no one to follow him, till a given signal 

 should signify that they had his permission. He 

 then shut the door for the unenviable tete-a-tete. 

 In a little more than a quarter of an hour the 

 signal was heard — those who had been waiting . 

 in alarm for the result, rushed in — they found the 

 horse extended on his back, playing like a little 

 kitten with the Whisperer, who was quietly sitting 

 by him. Both horse and operator appeared ex- 

 hausted, particularly the latter, to whom it was 

 necessary to administer brandy and other stimu- 

 lants before he could be revived : the horse was 

 perfectly tame and gentle from that day. In the 

 spring of 1803, Mr. Whaley's King Pippin was 

 brought out to run at the Curragh of Kildare. 

 He has been described as a horse of the most 

 savage and vicious disposition ; he had a habit of 

 flying at and worrying any person who came near 

 him. When he could turn his head round, he 

 would seize his rider's leg with his teeth, and drag 

 him from his back. The difficulty of managing 

 such a horse may be conceived, and on this occa- 

 sion it was impossible to put a bridle on him. 

 The Whisperer was now sent for. He remained 

 shut up in the stable all night — in the morning 

 King Pippin was seen following him like a dog — 

 lying down at the word of command, and per- 

 mitting any person, without resistance, to put his 

 hand into his mouth, while he stood " gentle as a 

 lamb." He was brought out in the course of the 

 meeting, and won the race. 



The fame of the Whisperer had now spread 

 through the country, and his services were exten- 

 sively demanded. This extraordinary person has 

 been noticed in various publications — Crofton 

 Croker speaks of him in his " Fairy Legends " 

 " as an ignorant rustic of the lowest class," while 

 he bears ample testimony to his magical powers. 



