48 
NATURE NOTES. 
annoyance of the head-teacher, who had heard tlie name 
Caballo Cortes and had reckoned his name on the list as present, 
he had to repass his calculations to make the return correct. 
He knew the sound of the dining-room bell as well as the 
cat, and rested his chin on the window-sill in expectation of a 
dole. Bread, meat, fruit, were equally acceptable to him, and 
he did not object to stronger food. More than once he waylaid 
the cook and the boy as they passed with the food from the 
kitchen to the house, knocked the rice-dish out of their hands, 
and allowed the rest to pass. 
On one occasion I told the boy in his presence to go and pull 
a large sour-sop and bring it in for lunch. Two or three friends 
were talking with me at the time, and the horse, as was usual 
with him, for he never shunned society, joined the group with 
attentive ears. Cortes turned his eyes on the boy till he got to 
the tree, and then swerved round into position to observe. Be- 
tween the tree and the door-way at which w'e were talking there 
was a tacista fence, or rather screen, as at each end there was 
passage. The boy had hardly begun to descend the tree, when 
Cortes started to intercept the fruit. “ Run behind the screen ” 
I called to the boy, and lo ! a veritable game of puss-iu-corner 
took place ; the boy and the horse running hither and thither 
till at last by a feint the boy got the start for the door at the end 
of the building, with the horse after him. 
I w'as one day lining a board to cut in tw'O. Cortes stood 
and watched for a minute or two, then took the pencil between 
his teeth and drew the line with me. 
At the time -we were building the school-house we had trou- 
ble from time to time to keep him in bounds ; for the labourers 
carelessly left the gate open, and Cortes was always on the alert 
for such neglect. I w'as at my window shaving, as the break- 
fast bell rang, and the men, as usual, dropped their tools and 
passed hurriedly out, leaving the gate ajar. There was no 
helping it ; before I could get dowm or call the boy, the animal 
would be through and awa}To the street. So I opened the sash 
and called out, “ Cortes, come back.” He turned his big eyes 
up to the second storey, as if expostulating, but proceeded. Old 
INIaria, the cook, topk up the cudgels for me, and said, “ Don’t 
you hear ? Father tell you come back ! ” He deigned to throw' 
an inquiring look at her, but continued his outward bound 
course. A few' yards more and he would be beyond my pow'er. 
So 1 put on stress of language, that evidently he took in its true 
sense, and bade him come away ; he gave one more look at the 
w'indow — one neigh of vexation attended by sundry plunges and 
wild kicks, and returning through the gate rushed to the far end 
of the grounds in disgust and remained there the rest of the day. 
He was not the best riding horse, but there are many which 
could not rival him as ah all-round horse. He was strong and 
reliable for a journey. If your hat fell, or your handkerchief 
dropped, or anything became deranged, he would stand un- 
